Silent Whispers
by xSweetEternityx
Summary: AxC 10 years ago, I witnessed the death of my best friend at a young age. Now, at 16, that very same person, but now as a spirit, has continued to haunt and pester me until I can rid of my guilt and find true happiness.
1. Meeting Him

**A/N: Hey everyone! People who have read my past stories and new people as well! I came up with the inspiration after a talk about ghosts at my aunt's house for personal reasons and decided to write a fic about it using my favorite characters! Anyway, I hope I can please you as well as I might have done in my other ones!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters used in this fic **

* * *

**Silent Whispers**

**(AxC 4 ever)**

**Summary:10 years ago, I witnissed the death of my best friend at a young age. Now, at 16, that very same person, but now as a spirit, has continued to haunt/pester me until I can rid of my guilt and find true happiness  
**

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**Chapter 1: Meeting him**

_I was standing on a field filled with the softest, greenest grass around. It seemed as if it were all a dream. I heard someone call out my name as he stood next to me. "So Cags, what do you think? Do you like my secret place?" he asked._

_I nodded as I was very much amazed by my surroundings. It was like stepping into a painting; flwoer blossoming everywhere, cool blue water flowed peacefully downhill. It was breathtaking. "Yes Kira, it is... amazing," I replied as the said boy smiled happily._

_He had always taken off somewhere without letting anyone know where he was going and I had many times questionned his disappearance, but always, he would reply, "Sometime soon, I'll show you," and now here I was._

_I inhaled the sweet air and closed my eyes until I heard a voice call my name repeatedly._

"Cagalli! Cagalli! Time to go to school! Wake up already!" I felt myself being shaken.

I sleepily reached out my hand and slapped downwards, hitting a solid object. "Hey!" the voice complained, sounding hurt.

I groaned as I sat up and rubbed my eyes to rid of the sleep that was still there. Then, as I opened them, I saw a ghostly figure floating in front of me, holding his cheek, which had a hand mark. "Cagalli! That hurt!" he whined again.

I rolled my eyes but I couldn't hide my grin. "Sorry Kira, didn't mean to have slapped you there but you know how I hate being woken up in the middle of a good dream," I said with a small shrug.

Kira forgot his pain and looked curiously at me. "So what dream did you have this time?" he asked as he sat down on the floor crossed legged.

I shook my head. "It wasn't much," I lied. "Y'know, if you're a ghost, isn't my hand supposed to go through you if I try to touch you?" I pointed out.

Kira shrugged as he floated around my room. "I don't know; I didn't make the rules," he said. "Anyway, you better get dressed quickly since it's going to be your first day at this school," he added.

I nodded as I headed towards the bathroom. Before I went in, I took another glance at the teenager ghost. "Don't you dare spy on me," I warned through narrow eyes.

Kira shrugged his translucent shoulders. "It's not like I can go through the door whenever I want; it has to be your will," he mumbled.

I gave a sastified grin before getting changed. Then I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and began my introduction. I'm Cagalli Yula Athha and it must seem kind of wierd I'm talking to a ghost who floats around my room. The thing is, that ghost boy is my best friend, Kira Yamato, even though at times, I feel like I want to kill him. Actually, it wouldn't be the first time that he would 'die' at my hands. It was 10 years ago when Kira and I were both 6 years old. We were best friends then too, only except the difference between now and then was that then, Kira was still alive. One day, Kira was involved in a serious car accident while walking home with me from school. We took him immediately to the hospital, but no matter what was done to prevent it, Kira didn't make it.

One day while I was lost, I thought I saw Kira. He took my hand and walked me home. At first I thought it was all a dream, but when I woke up, I saw that he was still there, beside my bed. It was then I realised that he was Kira, only that he was in a spirit form. And now... he follows me everywhere due to my annoyance. He says it is because I still felt guilt somewhere in my heart and that I blamed myself for the accident that he couldn't rest in peace. So for that, Kira believes that until I find my true happiness, he'll tag around. "Are you done yet?" a voice outside the bathroom called impatiently.

I spat out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth. "Yeah!" I yelled back.

I opened the door and the two of us raced downstairs for breakfast. Father looked up from his daily newspaper. "What were you yelling about up there?" he asked as Mother handed me a plate of sausages and cucumber.

I made a face. "Mother, why is it always cucumber? You know I don't like Westernn food," I said, ignoring my father.

"Because it is good for you, sweetheart. It is good to have a change once in a while," Mother called back.

I sighed as I turned to face Father. "As for the yelling, aren't you used to it yet? Considering I yell every morning?" I asked back.

Father gave no answer as he finished up his breakfast and then drove off to work. Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that my parents can't see or hear Kira since they can't see ghosts themselves, so I find it humorous when they walk through him and strangely (in their eyes anyway) feel cold all of a sudden. I sighed again as I played with the sausages for a bit before eyeing the cucumber in distaste. Oh well, its not like I eat it everyday anyway... I took a bite into the slice and it made a sastifying crunch. At the same time, I couldn't help but notice that Kira winced.

I took note of it and took another bite, making Kira use a mortifying expression. A wicked grin crossed my face as I realised what I had found out. I rushed to the fridge, dragging poor Kira along. I searched the veggie section in the fridge and took out more cucumber slices. I gleefully bit into them and Kira yelped for every bite. "Umm... Cagalli?" I turned my head with half a slice of cucumber sticking out of my mouth.

My mother gave me a wierd look and she had a sweat drop. My face quickly turned red with embarassment. "Uh-heheh... this cucumber is uh.. surprisingly good," I lied. "... I'll just finish this slice," I finished the last piece and Kira fainted from the taste.

I went back upstairs and grabbed my backpack and was about to head off to school when a sickly-looking Kira complained, "Cagalli! That was mean!"

I couldn't help but snicker. "Sorry Kira, I couldn't help it," I admitted.

Being my ghost, Kira could taste whatever I eat. For some strange reason, even though Kira is already dead and became a ghost, he was still able to age as well so he didn't look like a 6 year old anymore. With his translucent chocolate brown hair and gentle lavendar eyes, Kira was quite handsome but guilt came upon me as I thought that if Kira had not died, he would probably have gotten a pretty girlfriend by now. Surely, there weren't ghost girlfriends were there? "Eathr to Cagalli... you in there?" a voice spoke as he knocked on my head gently.

I blinked several times. "Wha..? Did you call me?" I asked as I snapped back to reality.

Kira shook his head at me. "What am I going to do with you?" he said exasperatedly as he floated around the room.

"Um Kira?" I called as Kira turned to face me.

"What is it?"

I stopped packing my things and looked down at the ground. "Is there such a thing as a ...g-ghost girlfriend?" I stammered.

Kira looked at me through sympathetic eyes as he floated down next to me. "Truthfully, I don't know a lot about the ghost world," he admitted. He then raised my chin. "But I do know that dwelling on the past and feeling guilty over it isn't going to make me feel at ease. So you got to feel happier, for my sake as well, okay?" Kira spoke gently.

I nodded as I knew that. "Y'know... you might want to leave the house now if you plan to reach the school on time," Kira advised. "You have just under 10 minutes,"

I checked my watch and saw that it was ten to eight! "Oh CRAP!" I muttered angrily as I shoved everything in my backpack. "Oh and Kira, stay home for today... if everything is fine, I'll bring you tomorrow," I said before running to school leaving Kira with a grumble.

* * *

"Today, we have a transfer student with us," said my teacher, Ms. Ramius. 

I looked up from gazing out the window as a tall boy with midnight blue hair walked into the class. His hair was about neck length and he had deep emerald orbs that shone as he spoke, "Hello, I'm Athrun Zala, but you can just call me Athrun. I have been to a lot of places in the world, but it's my first time here in this city. But despite that, I hope we can be friends," he said.

His voice, I noticed was very rich and deep. And when he smiled, oh my god, every girl (other than me!) was in love. I rolled my eyes. Oh wonderful... another pretty boy! I thought distastefully as he winked.

_Meer Campbell is definitely going to get her claws into the guy_. I thought pityingly as I saw the spoken girl who sat on the other side of the empty desk that was beside me look as if she had found her new playtoy. Then for just a moment, I realised that the new guy's eyes were on me and as I looked back at him in surprise, I suddenly felt a wierd sensation pass my body. **(A/N: Like Le Creuset and La Flaga). **I looked out the window immediately as I tried to figure what had just happened to me. _There's something particular about that guy.. _I thought. _But what is it? I've never felt that before which is wierd since I usually sense abnormal things like Kira for example._

By the time I looked back up, the new guy, Athrun had taken his eyes off of me. "Well then, Mr. Zala, you may take the vacant seat next to Ms. Athha and Ms. Campbell," said the teacher as the new guy nodded.

I swallowed hard as I saw the reflection of Athrun as he walked towards my aisle. _Oh great... now he's going to sit next to me! Why on earth did this have to happen?!_ And then I also noticed he gave Meer a seducive smile which made me want to throw up. Meer of course didn't miss a thing and as soon as the guy sat down, she held his arm and asked, "My my... aren't you handsome?" in an I'm-so-innocent tone.

"Why thank you Ms-?," I heard him say with his smile never leaving his face.

"Meer Campbell, but for you, call me only Meer," she purred.

I knew I disliked Meer from the begining but it's offical now; I HATE her! She was supremely annoying, the leader of the cheerleaders, wears extremely skimpy clothing and her attitude is **UNBEARABLE! **I didn't feel sorry for this guy since I knew he was enjoying it by the way he is looking at her and my dislike for him also grew. But I couldn't help but notice every girl's head turning around, itching to look and talk to him.

I rolled my eyes as Ms Ramius told us to take the first ten minutes to talk about what we did over the summer before getting started with work. Mirillia Hawwe, my good friend came over and chatted with me about what we did but then she was cut off as a swarm of girls bombed the new guy with questions.

"Which countries have you been t-?"

"What's your phone number?"

"Wanna hang out after school with me?"

"Will you go out with m-?"

Their conversations were all in a jumble and I highly doubted that the guy could understand what they were saying to him since they kept cutting each other out. But this Athrun guy flashed a hot smile at the attention and every girl sighed happily. _Ok! That's it, I can't take it anymore!_ "May I direct you all to the nearest HOST CLUB?!" I demanded angrily, not caring if every face was turning to my direction, even the teacher's.

The girls looked at me in surprise. Mirillia's mouth dropped. "Cagalli..." she warned quietly.

I ignored her. "This is a school! I don't care what you do after it's over, but for now, be quiet!" I hissed.

Some of the girls like Meer Campbell shot daggers at me, but I ignored them as well and sat back down. "Okay, time's up! Now... some warmups of what was learned in June," Ms. Ramius called out.

As she passed out worksheets, I felt someone's eyes focused on me. As I looked at the window with the corner of my eye, I saw a smile on Athrun's face as I saw his reflection. I immediately turned back to my work to avoid looking at him. A moment later, I felt him nudge me. "I don't really understand how to do this, will you help me?" I heard him ask.

Pulling my most annoyed face I turned to him. "Oh really?" I said in disbelief.

Athrun nodded. I was about to refuse when I saw Meer's face turn bitter when she saw him talking me. I pulled a smile and agreed. "Alright, I'll help you.. but only with these. You'll do the rest, okay?" I said.

Athrun flashed me a smile and said, "Thanks,"

The bell rang soon to signal that the first half of the day was finished. As I headed to my locker, I saw an arm on the door. "What do you want?" I demanded as I saw a grin.

"Nothing, I just wanted you to thank you for that 'host club' thing... not many people have the courage to say things out loud like that," said Athrun as he leaned on the side of the lockers, facing me.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I didn't think he would thank me for that. "No problem, now would you please move your arm?" I said as my arms were full of textbooks and binders.

"Ah, yeah okay..." Athrun moved his arm. "I don't know why girls flock to me like that, is it because of my looks or is it maybe something more?" he said outloud to himself.

I quickly threw my stuff in my locker and walked away. "Hey! Where are you going?" I heard him call as I walked faster to get away from the over-confident guy.

"Lunch," I said as I heard quick footsteps behind me. Indicating that he was running up to me.

"Would you mind if you took me to the cafeteria? I don't know where that is," Athrun said.

I sighed, but secretly eyed him with the corner of my eye. He really was pretty handsome, but I hated his personality. "Fine, but afterwards, you're on your own," I muttered with a nodding Athrun beside me.

* * *

Out of the corner, a girl stepped back into the shadows. " That Athha... she's getting too warm with Athrun! She's walking with him to the cafeteria!" she complained. 

"I hated her from the begining.. but now I absolutely loath her.. If there was a way to get her out of the picture," said another.

The group of girls in the shadows agreed silently. "What do you have in mind, Meer?" a red-head asked.

"Nothing yet, but I suggest that we give Athha one last chance... if she does anything, we'll take action," said the pink-hair cheerleader as she stepped out of the shadows with a wicked grin across her face.

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**A/N: Well what do you think? Cagalli's not too into the guy because of his attitude, but despite that, most girls like him though. This fic will probably be shorter than my other fics and will most likely have either 10 chapters or 15 at the most. Anyway, please give me your opinons because that's really important to me and I'll continue! Thx!**


	2. Uncertanties

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all of those reviews on my first chapter! I know hearing that Kira is well, a 'ghost' may have been a bit saddening, but I promise that he'll have a big role and impact on Cagalli's life. I've also gotten a review asking about where's Lacus, and I should be able to say that she'll appear in the next chapter, but I'm not completely certain, so no promises yet! But I'll hope you'll enjoy and stick around!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD nor the characters  
**

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**Chapter 2: Uncertainties**

It was a peaceful morning in the the city of Orb with the sun just peaking over the hills, illuminating the soft green grass. Birds were singing happily and the owls were just about go to sleep when a voice shouted, "I WANNA GO!"

"No! LET GO KIRA!" I yelled as I struggled to my bedroom door, fully dressed and with my backpack on my back.

Kira grabbed the handle of my backpack and pulled along with holding onto my bedpost. "But you_ promised_! I'm all lonely up here!" he whined.

I struggled to make Kira release his grip but to no avail. For a ghost, his strength was human-like. "I didn't promise anything! I only said that if everything was fine, you would be able to come along!" I argued back while looking at the clock.

"Then that means that everything wasn't fine! That makes me even more suspicious! Why can't I come?! It's not like anyone can see me! You used to let me come everyday!" Kira whined, sounding like his 6 year old self.

I grunted. "But you distract me way too much! I won't be able to concen-!" I said loudly before being interrupted.

Suddenly there was a knock on my bedroom door. "Um Cagalli?" my mother's voice said in concern.

The door opened slowly and my mother looked around the room. "Why are you shouting so early in the morning? I thought I heard you talking to someone.." she said in wonder.

I shot Kira a very quick look that clearly said now-look-at-what-you've-done. "Uh.. well... you see..." I was unable to find an excuse but fortunately or unfortuantely, (I didn't know which is better) my mother came to a conclusion.

"Cagalli, honey, don't tell me you still have imaginary friends," she said in concern.

I sweatdropped as my face burned with embarassment and Kira hooting with glee isn't helping at all. "Er.." my mouth went dry at the loss of words.

Mother sighed. "You really must make more friends, and speaking of that, school is starting very soon; you better get going if you don't want to be late," she said.

I nodded quietly and broke out of Kira's strong grip with the attack of surprise. "Yes, mom! I'll be leaving right now!" I said as I ran out of my room and slammed it before heading out the door, leaving my mother with a very surprised look.

I ran down the street quickly thinking, _I'm sorry Kira.. but I still get this strange feeling about that new guy, Athrun... so until I find out why I'm feeling this wierd sensation, I can't risk bringing you with me.._

But Kira didn't know that. He floated around the room, angrily. "How could she? She's my best friend for crying out loud! Not only that, but I sort of feel this responsiblity for looking after her... maybe I should sneak off to school with her, but not letting her see me.." he decided as he opened the windows and climbed out.

If anyone had saw, they would be suspicious to find a window opening by itself, but there really was no one who had time to look, because they were all on their busy schedules and of course, no one saw Kira as he floated on the way to school.

* * *

The bell rang as soon as I reached class and I sighed in relief for not being late. You see, being late meant detention and their ways of detention is to make it as boring as possible so that sitting there and doing countless of extra work is torture. I dumped my books on my desk and looked out the window as class resumed.

I didn't really pay attention to Ms. Ramius as I as a pretty good student without needing to pay too much attention and Ms. Ramius was a pretty cool teacher. She didn't mind if you even slept in her class, but as long as you're doing quite well in her class like getting 80 or higher, she won't make you listen to her directly. Class was quite normal as it usually was, but for some reason, I kept shooting secret glances at the boy beside me who seemed to be paying more attention than the rest of us. When Meer caught my eye, she scowled darkly as if to say, 'stay-away-from-my-new-toy'.

I rolled my eyes and class ended shortly after that. Gym was next and as we got changed into white t-shirts and red shorts, the teacher, Ms. Baguriel announced, "Okay listen up! This year will be a little different than usual; we'll be sharing our gym period with the boy's gym class every wednesday. So I expect you to behave yourselves and not act like a bunch of hooligans!" she said loudly.

"Yes, m'am," we all chorused, but I noticed that Meer Campbell and some other Athrun Zala fan girls were giggling madly because it seemed that Athrun would be sharing the same time as us.

I found that I was right as I recognised his mid-night hair and emerald orbs. But it had seemed that he had made some friends because he was talking to the school's most popular guys. They included, Yzak, Dearka, Heine and Shinn. I didn't really like Yzak or Shinn that much since they both really hot-headed, but Heine and Dearka are okay though Mirillia said that Dearka was a flirt. "Ugh, look at him!" Mirillia whispered angrily as she stood next to me on the bench.

"Mhm?" I looked over to where she was pointing and saw Dearka making some girls laugh with probably some corny jokes. "Just ignore him, he's the same as Zala," I muttered.

The spoken boy was being dragged by Meer and her friends as they giggled like silly-brain-dead girls. I hated those types of girls. Ms. Baguirel blew the whistle loudly to catch everyone's attention. "Girls' class will go over to the tennis courts," she said while Mr. La Flaga, the boy's teacher said, "Alright guys, let's head on over to the basketball court and shoot some hoops,"

The two classes split up but the two areas were quite close to each other. The girls' gym class was said to be playing doubles against each other and I was paired up with Meer, much to my horror. "So Campbell, you actually going to do anything this year?" I demanded as I picked up a racket as stood on the right side of our court.

Meer looked at me distastefully. "Why would I do that?" she spat as she looked at her perfectly done fingernails.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. I hated this girl so much! But I had no choice, "Look, I know you hate me and I hate you as well, but can we at least work together for once and not try and strangle each other?" I said, knowing the answer already.

"I don't care about school or my grades. I'm only here for the hot guys, so I don't care if you lose," she hissed as she walked away.

I grunted. I really didn't care about her either. Oh well, she would probably screw up anyway. "You sure you can play 2 against 1?" Mirillia called from behind the net as she was my opponent.

I nodded. "Well, I don't know until I try.. go ahead and serve, Mir," I replied as Mirillia began her serve.

Going two against one was harder than I expected. As the ball came over in my direction, I had to run back and forth on my side, whereas on Mir's side, she had Shiho. They didn't really need to move as much. "Game, Mir-Shiho! 3 games to 2!" called out the score keeper that was keeping track on our court.

By that time even, I was already panting quite a bit. Mirillia was pretty good, but Shiho was awesome. If this was singles, I would probably do a bit better. But by then, I also noticed that the boy's basketball game was already over and they came over to the tennis courts to watch our class play. Some girls got distracted and waved happily, but I didn't. Eventually it was 5 games to 4, my favor. I was extremely out of breath. I faulted a few times when serving and accidentally gave them the point. _Okay... doing good..  
_

* * *

_Someplace else..._ "Cagalli should have gym period by now... but I can't find her anywhere!" complained a certain someone as he ruffled his chocolate brown hair in annoyance.

As he floated around, he accidentally 'floated' into someone. Kira stepped back in surprise. "S-sorry..." he mumbled, but then as he looked up to meet emerald orbs.

The boy gasped. _A ghost? Why here of all places?_ Athrun thought as he looked at the ghost boy who seemed to be around his age. Kira gasped as well as he realised that he didn't go through the boy he bumped into. _Why? For normal humans, I'm supposed to go through them... with Cagalli being an exception of course..._

_Uh oh... _Kira thought as he swallowed audibly. _Cagalli's going to get really mad if she found out not only I got out of the house despite her orders, but I ran into someone who I couldn't go through either. _"G-gotta go!" he said quickly as he zoomed back home, changing his mind about visiting the school.

Athrun blinked several times. "Why is a ghost here..? Unless someone died here? But he didn't seem like he was being tied to this place.. strange," he muttered to himself as a voice called him over, "C'mon Athrun! Watch the girls' matches too!"

"Coming!" Athrun yelled back as he quickly washed his face at the wash station outside and decided that he would think more about it later.

* * *

I was serving. I stopped for a moment to breathe a little. This was quite hard. I swallowed and served with all the remaining strength I had and watched the ball sail over the net. "Mir! I got it!" Shiho called as she rushed towards the ball and whacked it back over to my side.

I was just able to get it when I met a pair of emerald orbs. He had a smirk on his face as he watched me go back and forth. I scowled. _He must have thought I was some sort of weakling like Meer or something.. well buster, I'm going to show you my true side!_ As Mirillia returned the ball, I hit it and gained another point.

It was 30-15 with me being the 30. For games, it was also 5-4 in my favor. I only needed 2 more points and that is if there wasn't a deuce or anything. But unfortunately, Ms Baguirel sounded the whistle, indicating that the gym period was over and had us walk back to the gym. The boys got up as well. As I exited the courts, Athrun went past me and whispered, "Not bad, but you still have a long way to go,"

I clenched my fists around the racket and ignored him as I returned to the changeroom to get changed before lunch.

School ended some time later and instead of walking back to my house, I decided to go to Central Point Avenue, which had some really good cafes there. As I took a shortcut and crossed a grassy plain field, I noticed a boy peering intently over the bridge, looking at the river. The first thought that came to me was that he was about to jump and commit suicide! "WAIT!!!!" I screamed as I ran for the boy.

But unfortuantely, I surprised the boy and as he yelled out out in surprise, I tripped and resulting in both of us landing in the river. Spluttering, I was able to make it to the other side of the land where the bridge ended and then got a closer look at the boy who had midnight blue hair. "What did you do that for?!" he demanded as his emerald orbs flashed in annoyance.

I just stared at him. "S-sorry... I thought you were going to commit suicide.." I said quietly.

Athrun cooled off. "I wasn't going to do that, I was just thinking. But I guess I should thank you for your concern. Here," he held out his hand to me.

I blinked as I took his hand and he helped me up. "It's Athha, right?" he spoke, surprising me.

His tone was pretty cool, and his attitude was different from the day before during school. I nodded. "Y-yeah... that's me," I said dumbly as I smoothed out my uneven hair.

But then, just then, my stomach complained of its emptyness. I blushed as I saw Athrun laugh. It was the first time I've ever seen him laugh. "So what? I'm human too! Humans get hungry," I mumbled in embarassment.

"Yeah okay, so going to Central Point for food right? Mind if I join you? I'm a little hungry as well," Athrun said as his laughter died.

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me," I said as I began walking to the street.

Our clothes were more or less dry by the time we reached the Yoko Café **(A/N: There really is a cafe called Yoko that mostly serves teenagers with popular drinks like Bubble tea etc.)** A waitress came to our table and waited for our orders. "Um... I'll have Mountain Mixed Fruit Shaved Ice along with some kebabs," I said as I looked at the menu.

Shaved Ice was my favorite type of dessert but here at Yoko's, their shaved ice was the best! "I'll be right back, I'm going to the bathroom," I said to Athrun as I headed off.

I looked at the mirror as I washed my hands and my thoughts were starting to direct to Athrun. _He's a lot nicer than yesterday... I had thought he was like another playboy and a flirt, but maybe I judged him too quickly.. anyway, better be getting back._ I had thought as I returned to our table.

As soon as I arrived at the scene, my fists clenched noticeably as I saw that Athrun was flirting with the waitress. "Can I have an order of you? I'm positive that you must be the best thing that this cafe has," Athrun said seducively.

The waitress smiled like a cat. "Sure thing, how about now..? I'm sure I can get off from work.. besides, we could do something, _more interesting together.._" she purred.

I went back to the table and grabbed my backpack. "Actually Miss, please cancel my orders. Something came up," I said as I looked at her with distaste.

Athrun looked at me in surprise. "Huh? I thought you said you were hungry," he said.

I shook my head. "No, not anymore, see you tomorrow," I said as I rushed out the doors and back home.

_That bastard! I had turned my back on him for one instance and he's flirting again! Argh.. I thought I had him figured. Maybe not, but I'm never going to try ever again to be nice to this guy!_ I stormed.

But something I didn't realise what that several pairs of eyes had seen me go the the cafe with a certain blue-haired guy. "See, I told you! That Athha is stalking Athrun! How could she?!" a female voice hissed. **(A/N: Aren't they stalking Athrun as well? Lol)**

"She's getting too cozy with him, we better get rid of her before she thinks she's all high and mighty," another one said.

"Yes... we'll take action tomorrow," said the last one as a wicked grin crossed her pale face.

I stormed over the bridge and walked along the river. I stopped for a moment and picked up a stone. With all my might I chucked it as far as I could, using my anger as well. Then I picked up more. "ZALA!YOU-OVER-EGOISTICAL-DUMB-SMART-ASS-WITH-A-PRIDE-THAT-NEEDS-DEFLATING! AUGH!" I screamed every word as I threw each stone.

I watched as almost every stone sunk beneath the cool waters before running home. "Hi honey, how was school today?" my mother asked as she saw me take off my shoes and storm upstairs.

"Horrible," I grumbled as I continued up to my bedroom.

As soon as I opened the door, Kira twitched noticeably. "H-hey Cagalli... what's up?" he stammered.

I threw my backpack to the corner of my room and collasped on my bed, face-first. "Stupid Zala," I mumured into the pillow.

It seemed that I was wrong to believe that he might have been a good person. But back then when he helped me up, he didn't seem so bad. I rolled over so that I laid on my back and looked at my hand. _His hand was so big and so warm..._ I had thought before realising that I had given Zala a compliment. I immediately shook my head and my head turned to Kira. "Kira, why do you look paler than usual?" I asked as his translucent body became nearly transparent.

Kira gave me a dry chuckle. "Eh.hehe.. maybe I've been inside for too long," he lied as his forehead was dripping with perspiration.

I felt a little guilty that I had left him here inside for the whole day for the past two days. "Oh, well, to make up for shutting you up this morning and yesterday... how about you come with me to class tomorrow?" I offered as I notice Kira swallowed.

"Um... s-sure..." he said nervously as he floated around the room.

_Just outside the house..._ a midnight-haired boy was to be seen standing on my driveway. "Hmm.. too late, I didn't catch up to her in time.. but there's something _unusual_ about that girl, Athha... I would like to find out what she's hiding," he whispered with a small smirk. "After all, I'm also a little _unusual_ in a way," he added before walking away.

* * *

**A/N: That's the end of this chapter! What did you think? It's my first time making Athrun a playboy, so please excuse me if it is really bad! -sweatdrop- Constructive Critism is gratefully allowed and I hope that maybe some tips would help my writing improve for the better. Thanks!**


	3. Emptyness

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews on my previous chapter! Some of you may have already known what part of Lacus's role is but like I promised, she shows up for part of this chapter, though her background is still unknown. Anyway, enjoy!  
**

**Canadain-Girl :You are partially correct about Lacus, but before, I had something else planned, but I don't think I will include that in this fic.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD nor its characters **

* * *

**Chapter 3: Emptyness**

"KIRA YAMATO! C'MON! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" I yelled as I tugged on his translucent t-shirt.

"I changed my mind! I d-don't want to go anymore!" Kira argued back as he was clinging onto my bedpost with all of his might.

I stopped pulling and stared at him in disbelief. "Why? What is wrong with you? Yesterday morning, you pleaded me to take you along and now you don't want to go?" I demanded with a huff. "Seriously! I felt guilty about shutting you at home yesterday, but if you don't want to go, then forget it! Just don't expect me to give you the chance to come with me ever again!" I hissed as I grabbed my backpack and slammed my door in anger.

I then stormed downstairs in a foul mood. I was only tryibng to be nice, but he didn't even want to take up my offer. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel suspicious; Kira loved going outside whenever he had the chance and he liked going to school with me in the past, so why would he refuse to budge today? Did something happen to him yesterday that I was unaware of? I sighed. "Bye mom, I'll see you later," I said as I was about to close the door when a frantic voice called out my name, "Wait Cagalli!"

I stopped as I noticed Kira with a nervous expression, zoom down the stairs. "I-i well... I decided to c-come along," he said quietly.

I gave a small nod as Kira floated outside and I shut the door. "Alright, let's go now, I'm going to be late if we don't get moving!" I said in a hurry as I took off, with poor Kira dangling off the handle of my backpack.

"C-c-cagalli...! S-slow down!" Kira complained as the world was zooming around before his eyes.

I ignored him. "Your fault for delaying me in the first place! Almost there!" I said shortly as I continued to run.

I heard the bell ring and noticed that the black metal gate was about to close. "HOLD THAT GATE!" I screamed as the gatekeeper stared at me in surprise.

But fortuantely for me, he did hold it open for me as I ran through. "Thanks!" I said quickly as I entered my school with a Kira who's eyes were full of dizzy swirls_  
_

* * *

_Some moments earlier but at some place else..._ "Did you call me?" asked a gentle feminine voice.

"Yes, I did," answered a male baritone voice as he looked away from the windows. "There is a strange girl that I met the other day that goes to my school. The feeling about her is well, unusual... if you could, I would like you to help me investigate this girl,"

A small smile appeared on a silvery face. "Yes, I will do my best," answered the same gentle voice as she bowed and left the room.

The boy smiled. "Well, time for school, can't be late now," he said as he also left the room with shadows covering his face.

_Back at school... _I quickly rushed to my locker and grabbed my binders for my class and ran down the halls, knowing I was just on time. "C-cagalli! Slow down..." Kira moaned as he held the helm of my t-shirt.

I turned around the corner and suddenly I bumped into someone, resulting me falling butt first. _Owww... what did I run into?_ "HEY! THAT HU-Zala?!" I said in surprise as I saw emerald orbs look down at me in shock.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you. Anyway, here's your books," he said as he quickly gathered up my notebooks and binders.

I was so surprised to see him that I forgot about my anger for him yesteday. "T-thanks..." I said as I quickly got up and took them.

"C'mon! We're going to be late," Athrun said quickly as we sped down the hall.

I stopped for a moment, remembering about Kira and looked around. _Where did he go? He was just here with me a moment ago.._ "What's wrong?" I heard Athrun ask.

"N-nothing..." I said as I continued to speed-walk to my class. "Let's go,"

"You're late! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Ms Ramius demanded, with a peeved-looking expression.

Athrun and I bowed apologetically. "Sorry Ms. Ramius... it won't happen again," we chorused.

Ms Ramuis gave a stern nod before saying, "Detention during lunch for the two of you," she said. "Now, return to your seats,"

I walked silently back to my seat and gave Athrun my most hateful glare; it was his fault that I was late. If I hadn't bumped into him, then I wouldn't have detention. Athrun gave me a smirk and turned his attention towards the front. I gritted my teeth angrily and gazed out my window, trying to ignore Meer's hushed, but still shrill voice talking to Athrun as if she had not seen him for days. I noticed that the sky was turning gray quite quickly and that the clouds were gathering as well. But that wasn't what was bothering me; where did Kira go? It was unusual for Kira to take off without letting me know. I sighed, _this was going to be a long class...  
_

* * *

_With Kira at the time of the incident..._ "Whew! I'm extremely glad I got out of the way in time..." Kira remarked as soon as he noticed the two run to class.

"It was that guy from yesterday... the one that was able to see me. If he had seen me, I would've been in trouble," he mumbled as he floated down another hallway.

He sighed as he rubbed his translucent chocolate brown hair. "Well... what should I do now? I don't think I can barge into Cagalli's class now since that guy is with her, but really... why is he able to see me?" he whispered to himself as he opened the door and floated back outside.

As a raindrop landed on his nose, Kira looked up to see that the rain was begining to fall. "Oh wonderful.. it's raining," he said sarcastically. "I... don't really get this ghost business sometimes. I mean, yeah I know I'm supposed to be Cagalli's little ghost friend and I can only actually touch (without my hand going through!) people who've either also witnissed the death of others or those who are spirit reapers.. but I would hate to meet the latter,"

"Yet I can still be soaked to the core with water, I can touch solid objects and my feet can touch the ground if I really wanted to... this isn't all that much different from being alive.." Kira whispered sadly as he planted his feet to the ground and began to walk around the school while being in the rain.

"The only difference is.. that I can't speak or have anything to do with those who cannot see ghosts such as me and that I'll never be able to talk to my mom or my dad ever again..." He sighed and turned even more gray.

Kira began to sprint a little, feeling weighed down on his emotions. And as he turned the corner, he felt something solid bump against his body. "Owww..." murmured a soft, gentle voice.

"E-eh.. s-sorry!" Kira said apologetically as he bowed without thinking.

As Kira blinked, he saw that the person he had bumped into wasn't human, but a ghost as well. It was a girl about his age with long translucent cherry blossom hair and clear baby blue eyes. She looked at him in surprise as she was still on the ground. "H-here.. take my hand," Kira said, still in shock as he offered to help her up.

"Thanks," the girl replied as Kira pulled her up to her feet and then brushed off some dirt on her translucent white tank top and lavendar skirt.

"I didn't mean to .. uh you know, make you lose your footing," Kira said in embarassment.

The girl gave him a gentle smile. "It's okay, I understand," but then her smile faded. "But why were you crying?" she asked, with concern in her voice.

Kira looked at her in surprise. He blinked before realising that his eyes were moist. _I was crying? I had thought that it was the rain that was falling down.. I must look like an idiot; crying for no reason.._ Before he could give any excuse, the girl took out a small translucent handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of Kira's eyes. "There... I'm pretty sure it was the rain," she said kindly.

Kira lowered his gaze in embarassment and mutter a 'thanks'. The girl smiled. "I'm Lacus Clyne, by the way," she said cheerfully.

Kira looked up and a light tint of blush covered his face. _Wow... she's not only extremely pretty, but she has a beautiful name as well!_ He thought but then mentally slapped himself as there was a silent pause. _Well say something or else this girl will think you're nuts!_ "I'm K-kira... Kira Yamato," he stammered.

Lacus's smile didn't fade, but if even possible, her smile widened at his uncomfortable expression. "Pleased to meet you, Kira.. you're the first ghost I've met in this town," she said.

Kira blinked. "O-oh really? Well... does that mean you are new to this area?" he asked as he began to feel a little better.

Lacus nodded her pink head. "Yes, I just recently moved here... if you don't mind, could we maybe go someplace where it isn't soaking us to the core?" she asked politely.

Kira's eyes widened as he just realised that they had been chatting in the rain. "Y-yeah! I mean.. of course.." he said as he lead her back into the school_  
_

* * *

_Back with me..._ The school bell signaled the end of the first half and now, it was lunch time. I watched glumly as I saw every student going out towards the cafeteria. "Now.. Ms Athha and Mr Zala, the two of you will sit here in _silence_ doing nothing while I will go have my lunch break," Ms Ramius said as she also headed out the door.

I gave a big sigh as I looked out the window. It was a habit of mine; to stare outside during both classes and detention. But the worst part was that I was trapped in detention with the one person who I honestly hated. I noticed through the reflection that Athrun was looking at me with a small crooked smile. "Zala!" I muttered angrily as I turned to face him.

The small crooked smile turned into a big smirk. "What?" he asked innocently.

My eyes narrowed. "Don't 'what' me! I know what you were doing!" I said as I felt a vein pulse.

"May I ask what I was doing?" he asked, still with the innocent tone.

"You were _staring_!" I accused as I gave him an evil glare.

Athrun rolled his eyes. "_Ooooh!_ I was _staring_! What a _crime_!" he said sarcastically.

"It is a _crime_ afterall, you're the one who landed me in detention!" I howled in fury as his facial expression was begining to tick me off.

Athrun shrugged. "Not my fault you were also running late; it was a mere coincidence that I ran into you and that you dropped your books," he said cascually. Then his smirk widened. "Or was it that you _wanted_ to be in detention with me?"

If looks could kill, Athrun Zala would long be gone. "ZALA! WHY YO-!" I slapped him across the cheek out of anger.

Athrun gave me a look of shock and surprise as he lifted a hand up to his cheek which had a red hand mark. Our heads turned as we heard someone walk in and it turned out to be Ms Ramius.

"Ms. Athha! What is the matter with you today? I only came back to get my keys, but here I find you being disruptive. Usually, you're a good student, but today... you seem out of character. Your new place is now on the other side of the classroom. Move there!" she ordered.

I swallowed hard as I picked up my books and moved towards the other side of the classroom. Ms Ramius went to her desk to grab what she needed and slipped out the door. But before she went, she looked back on the two of us, but eyed me especially. "No talking," she said before closing the door.

As I sat back down, I looked at my red hand in shock. I didn't mean to have slapped him; I just... lost control. I swallowed in guilt as my eyes drifted to a midnight haired boy. His hand was no longer at his reddened cheek, but he didn't meet my eyes. I also lowered my gaze onto the desk and swallowed. I knew that I had to apologize, but my mouth went dry as soon as I tried to open my mouth to say those words.

The rest of the detention was done in uncomfortable silence between the two of us. The rest of classes in the afternoon weren't any better either. Everytime I turned my eyes so that they would land on Athrun, I noticed that he had a cold exterior on. _I guess.. I really did go overboard... No wonder. He must hate me_. I thought as my mind was unable to focus on class. _I guess things would go back to normal, like before he came to our school._ It was a while before I realised that I had been sitting there while the bell had rang long ago. _I better go find Kira.._ I said to myself as I gathered my books and dropped them off at my locker.

* * *

_With Kira..._ "Ah! The bell rang!" Kira said as soon as he saw students filing out.

Lacus looked at him quizzically. Kira bowed. "I'm sorry Lacus, but it's time for me to go now... it was a pleasure... to get the chance to meet someone like you," he said.

Lacus smiled, her warm smile. "Pleasure is all mine," she curtisied. "I had fun as well; you're a kind ghost... one of the kindest I've met," she admitted.

Kira's face turned translucent pink as he blushed at her compliment. "T-thanks," he stammered.

"Well! I won't hold you back any longer. May we meet again some time," she said as Kira gave her a nod of agreement before leaving.

"Wow! This has been a really great day! Not only I met a ghost who's actually my age, not extremely older or extremely younger, but she's extremely pretty! But... I have to find Cagalli before she blows her top!" Kira said as his dreamy smile faded and ran outside_  
_

* * *

_Back with me.._ As soon as I opened the door, I noticed a ghostly figure run past. "Kira!" I called out.

Kira immediately skidded as soon as he heard his name being called. "Ah! Cagalli! There you are; I've been looking for you," he said as he floated to where I was.

I gave a small nod. "Let's go home now, I'm tired," I spoke softly as Kira gave me a quizzical look.

"Well, if that's what you want," he said with a bit of suspicion.

I nodded again and went back home in silence. Later that night, Kira looked at me in concern. "Are you okay, Cags? You've been really quiet ever since we got home," he said worriedly.

I nodded as I laid on my bed. "I'm fine. Like I said, I'm just tired... will you turn out the lights?" I asked.

Kira nodded as he did what he was told, but as he floated towards the moonlight that crept into my room he thought, _Cagalli's acting really strange.. what happened to her? I mean, she's really out of character! I thought that she would give me heck of a lecture for running off like that earlier.. but nothing! Maybe she really is just tired... hopefully things would be better tomorrow._

But things weren't 'better' the next day or the day after that. Even though Athrun and I were in almost every class together, he wouldn't meet my eye. It was offical; he really did hate me now. I was drowned in guilt and felt an emptyness inside of me. _Did that Zala really have such an effect on me? I've only known him for a week!_ On the third day, as I dejectly gathered my books to go home, I realised that it was raining as soon as I opened the door. "Oh great! I didn't bring an umbrella!" I muttered angrily as I held up my backpack as a cover.

As I was about to run as fast as I could through the heavy rain, I heard someone call my name. "Athha!"

I turned around and my eyes widened at the sight of Meer Campbell racing towards me. "Oooh Athha... I saw that you don't have an umbrella! Would you like a ride home in my Carrera?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Why are you offering me a ride? You don't like me, remember?" I spoke flatly.

Meer gave a small laugh. "I know, but I thought that maybe I could patch our distant relationship a little, like start calling me Meer for instance" she said as sweet as possible.

I lowered my gaze. I didn't know whether Meer meant it or not. "Well I don't know... would it be a lot of trouble?" I said finally.

Meer shook her pink head. "Nope! C'mon! It's in the parking lot on the other side of school!" she said as she dragged me back into the building.

I shrugged as I allowed myself to be dragged by her. _Maybe she changed for the better?_ I thought as we eventually reached the other side of the school in no time. We exited the doors and went through the rain. "Oh! Silly me! I forgot where I parked my Carrera! I remembered it was somewhere near that tree.. could you please go and see if my car is there?" Meer said in her high-pitched voice.

I sighed. I didn't really want to walk home soaked to the core, so I agreed. I rushed out through the heavy rain and peered around for her car. Through the greyness of the atmosphere, I couldn't see any Carrera at all... until my eyes fell on a red car. "Hey Meer, I think I see-" my sentence was cut off as I felt a strong push from my backside.

I fell to the ground hard and mud splattered against my clothes. I reopened my eyes to see what had happened and saw Meer standing before me with 5 other girls. "Wha?" I questionned as I saw all evil glances directed at me.

"Stupid girl.. you actually thought that _I_ wanted to be friends _with_ you? Pul-lease!" Meer sneered as she crounched down and gripped the back of my hair tightly.

I winced as I felt pain through my head. I struggled to stand up, but my legs were failing me. I tried to defend myself, but it was 5 against 1. Meer released my hair and beckoned another girl forward. That girl kicked me hard on my sides so that I landed next to the tree. "For someone's who _supposed_ to be smart, you sure are _stupid_! I can't believe you fell for that act! How pathetic! We all HATE you!" she screeched.

I coughed as I accidentally took in some mud. Someone threw rocks at me as I tried to shielf myself. It cut me in many places and I winced slightly. "You're getting too smug with Athrun! He belongs to us, not you! He doesn't need trash like you!" a redheaded girl cried as she slapped me hard across the face.

The back of my head slammed against the tree and I fell into a world of darkness. But before I lost consciousness, I heard a familar voice yell out my name.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh! Cliffie... heh.. sorry about that, but it just seemed like a good ending for me. Yeah I know Cagalli may or may not have been overdramatic about Athrun, but it seemed like a good plot, and hopefully you'll think so as well. Meer is well, evil in this fic, so if there's any Meer fans, please, I repeat, stay away. Thanks**


	4. Knowing

**A/N: Hi! I apologize for not updating recently (I was planning to update last week, but due to school work, I didn't have enough time to write things out). Most of your guesses in your reviews about whose voice belong to was correct. And here in this chapter, you'll find out if you were right.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sunrise, GS nor GSD. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: Knowing**

_What happened to me? Where am I?_ I thought as I was surrounded by a world of darkness.I tried to recall what was happening to me to before I came to this dark place. _Hey that's right! Meer that evil witch! I knew that I should never have trusted her, but I guess that I wasn't really feeling myself..._ thought outloud to myself as I floated around, without any directions. As I wandered around, I could hear faint voices in the blackness of the area I was in. I listened intently while moving towards the sound, trying to make out what they were saying as the faint voices grew louder and clearer. "Do you think she's okay?" a familar male voice asked with concern.

"I think so.. though she has many cuts and she banged her head quite hard," said a female, that was unfamilar.

A small sound erupted through my mouth as I felt the darkness fade away and I was back into the night. "Cagalli!" my eyes snapped open at the mention of my name.

My gaze was unfocused at first but the first thing that my eyes landed on was a pair of emerald orbs. "W-wha..?" I said as I blinked several times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Two other faces peered down at me and my eyes widened. I recognised Kira's translucent form, but there was a young girl about my age who was there also. "Kira!" I called out as I sat up in alert.

Kira gave me a small smile at my consciousness. "Hey.. how are you feeling?" he asked gently.

I looked at him through wide eyes. "B-but... you- a-and them!" I stammered, pointed to Athrun and the unnamed girl who looked at me understandingly.

Kira rolled his eyes in a playful manner as he sat on the bed that I was laying in and I then realised that this wasn't my bed. Then my eyes travelled around the room. Nor my room for that matter either. "It's okay, Cags... you're safe; Athrun saved you from that group of Meer's just after you lost consciousness," said Kira as he nodded towards the spoke boy.

I blinked as my eyes travelled to the midnight haired boy. He still didn't say anything as he avoided my gaze. "B-but why-no.. h-how did you meet?" I questionned as my mind was still clouded with confusion.

"Kira and Athrun met earlier when Kira sneaked out of the house a few days ago, but then they didn't really know each other, actually they just acknowledged that the other could see them and communicate with the other," explained the girl with translucent pink wavy hair. "And Kira and I met the other day. Today, when he sensed you were in danger, he rushed off without warning, with me following behind,"

I looked at her. "You're...a ghost as well?" I said dumbly as my senses were begining to work again.

The girl nodded. "My name is Lacus Clyne, an aquaintance with Athrun here like how you and Kira are friends. Pleased to meet you, Miss Cagalli," she said in that melodic tone of hers.

I nodded slowly as my brain began to take on what was happening around me. Lacus looked to Kira and gave a small smile. "Let's leave them alone for a moment, to talk," she said softly while Kira, as if in a trance nodded in agreement.

As soon as the two floated outside, there was silence between the two of us was a big as the room itself as I glanced at my savior. Then I looked down as I sat up in bed. A moment of panic hit me as I realised that I wasn't wearing my usual clothes. "Lacus changed you; your clothes were all muddy and torn at some parts that we went to get them fixed up," said a voice that surprised me.

My mouth went dry as his gaze looked into mine. I swallowed, ignoring his statement thought couldn't help but see a very faint tint of blush across his face. "Why did you save me? After what I did to you?" I asked softly as I felt my courage abandon me.

I was sure that he didn't hear me because he didn't say anything at first. His gaze was still as sharp as ever. "I can't just walk away when someone is in trouble," he said as he turned his face to the window.

I lowered my gaze to the blankets. So it wasn't me that he wanted to save; it would've been anyone who was in trouble. I didn't know why, but I felt a small pang in my heart when he said those words. "But... I can't let you get kicked around like that," he said as his face became gentler.

I stared at him as he turned his face away from the windows and walked up to the bed. He sat down on the side. "Those who dwell on their mistakes in the past can never move forward, so it is best to forgive all actions caused... I think you should know that better than anyone," Athrun said softly, the softest that I've ever heard.

I blinked as I realised that he meant that I was forgiven for slapping him earlier. I lowered my gaze as I replayed his words in my head. Somehow, it seemed that this arrogant play boy had a different side to him as well as the bad one. Then Athrun smirked. "That slap across the face was the first time anyone really struck me and I felt it good," he added.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, hey, that was your fault in the first place," I said.

Athrun shrugged. "Maybe... but the Zala charm is supposed to work on everyone... strange it doesn't work on you," he grinned.

I stood up and pointed at him. "You got that right! I'm not the type who kisses your every step AND I'm definitely not one who'd fall for you either, Zala!" I declared loudly.

Athrun looked shocked for a moment before bursting into laughter. I lowered my arm as I looked at him in surprise. His laughter filled the room with life and it was a joyful sound as it rung through my ears. "You just never give up! But you never know... you might just in the end," he smirked as he got up.

I frowned as I threw a pillow at him, who dodged it easily. "I doubt it!" I said as I got off the bed as well.

Athrun only shrugged as he turned to me. "Anyway, it's time to bring you home before your parents start to worry about your disappearance," he said as he exited the room.

He drove me home with my directions with his black Lamborghini and then took me up to the door steps. "So you're feeling okay?" he asked in reasurance.

I nodded. "Yeah...," I said. "Thanks to you," I added.

Athrun flashed me a smile, a real smile, not his usual smirk as he went down the steps back to his car. "See you tomorrow at school, Athha," he said.

"Cagalli," I called after him.

He turned with surprise. "Call me Cagalli," I repeated as a slight red tinted my cheeks with embarassment

Athrun smirked. "Okay Cagalli, since you let me call you by your name, you may call me by Athrun," he said before getting back into his car and driving off.

I watched him leave as I repeated his name silently in my mind. It was an uncommon name, but somehow it suited him perfectly. His personality, (make that a muliti-personality!), and his mysteriousity. A lot of questions started to fill my head as I started to wonder how he met Lacus. Was it the same way that fate brought Kira to me? That same tragic past? If so... how long had it been for him? It was 10 years for me.

I stepped inside my warm cozy house and as soon as I got in, my mother rushed up to me and gave me a tight hug. "Cagalli! Where have you been?!" she demanded, with obvious concern.

"I-i... fainted..." were the words that came through my dry mouth as I tried to think of an excuse.

It wasn't a total lie and my mother could see that from the cuts and bruises all over my face. "What happened, Cagalli?" I heard my father speak as he also stepped into view.

I was wordless at the moment as my mind was racing with excuses to say. I guess almost telling the truth would be best, so I told them most of what had happened. Only that, I changed the parts where I was attacked by that Meer Freak and her group, being saved by Athrun, talking to Athrun, and getting back on terms with Athrun. Actually, I kept most of the story from them. But before they could ask anymore questions, I told them that I was really tired and that it had been a long day. And fortuantely, they agreed to talk in the morning.

I dragged my heavy feet up stairs and fell onto my bed, back first. "Jeez... this day has been a long one..." I groaned.

Kira floated into the room. "No kidding! It's not everyday that Cagalli falls unconscious," he said, with agreement.

I sat up and threw a pillow at him, which whacked him in the face. "H-hey! It's true!" he whined.

I rolled my eyes as I fell back down. "Besides... that was a heart-warming conversation you had with Athrun before coming in, right?" Kira smirked.

I stared at him as he started to mimic our voices. _"Yeah... I'm alright.. thanks to you... Athrun! And do please call me by my first name,_" Kira said in a voice that was supposed to copy mine.

I scowled in disgust. "One, it _didn't_ happen that way, and two your voice sucks," I said.

Kira shrugged with a smug look on his face as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "So.. anyway, what did you and Athrun talk about back there at Athrun's mansion?" he asked.

I looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I'm not telling _you_ considering what you were doing just a second ago and besides, nothing that was important anyway," I said as I raised my arm to cover my eyes from the bedroom light.

Then my eyes drifted towards the translucent ghost. "So, as Lacus said, you sneaked out of the house without my knowing and followed me to school?" I accused.

Kira sweatdropped. "Eh...hehe.. I couldn't help myself... Besides, if I hadn't and didn't meet Athrun, I wouldn't have been able to stay with you while you were unconscious," he said with an excuse.

I rolled to my side and thought it over. "Maybe... I guess you're lucky _this_ time.. but don't think you're going to get away with it next time you try that," I said.

Kira's nervousness faded as he pulled up a grin. "Yeah yeah whatever," he said in a bored tone.

I had a smirk as a thought crossed my face. "What about this _Lacus_ girl?" I asked.

Kira looked surprised at my question as he nearly fell off the side of the bed. "W-what about her?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Well... I don't know.. you like her or something? 'Cause when she beckoned you outside in Athrun's Mansion, you looked as if you were in a trance or something and agreed immediately," I said.

Kira shook his head nervously. "W-well.. I think it's her voice and personality... I've never met someone like her. In the time I've known her, she's been very kind to me and cheered me up when I was feeling sad," he admitted. "Besides... sometimes being an adolescent ghost isn't such a great thing, since most of the ghosts wandering around town are either too old or too young.. so it's the first I got to meet someone that was the same age as I was," he added sadly.

I remained silent as I thought about his explanation over. It was true... it was a bit lonesome being a ghost sometimes. And I wasn't always there since I had to get on with my busy schedules and stuff. "You're right.. I apologize for poking into your business," I said meekly.

Kira shrugged as he gave me a small smile. "Don't worry about it... we can talk more tomorrow since it's getting late," he said.

I nodded as I looked at the clock. I got out of bed and turned off the lights with a swift move. "Goodnight Kira," I said as I crawled back onto bed.

Kira, who was now sitting on the window sill looked back at me and replied, "See you in the morning," and with that, I fell asleep immediately.

* * *

The next day arrived quickly and I went to classes as usual. During lunch, Mirillia had told me that she had to go to her photography club meeting and told me that she wasn't going to join me for lunch today. I also noticed that Meer's group ignored me as I walked by as if I was invisible._ Athrun must have done something to them..._ I thought as I felt no sympathy for them.I sighed as I walked around in the cafeteria. It seemed that almost every seat was filled up and I couldn't find any of my friends either. "Well, might as well go someplace else," I said as I felt that I was no longer hungry. 

I climbed the stairs past the 3rd year's level and continued on climbing up to the rooftop. As I opened the door, a gentle breeze brushed by my face. I liked going up to the rooftop. One, it had a spectacular view and two, it was so peaceful, you could collect your thoughts. I walked over to the side where it was fenced off and laid my hands on the railing and looked at the scenery before me. I thought about everything that happened for the past few days. Meeting Athrun for the first time and feeling a jolt of electricity between us. By now, I knew that jolt of electricity must have been the connecting between us and our ghostly friends... though I still felt it was very awkward, since usually the ghosts I see and meet are without regular people like me. "What are you doing up here alone?" asked a familar voice.

I fell out of my thoughts and saw a shadow hovering above me. I looked up to meet emerald orbs. "A-athrun?" I spoke in surprise.

Athrun grinned as he stood next to me. "That's the first time I've heard you call me by my name...I like it, Cagalli," he said devilishly.

I glared at him. "Whatever, like I said before, I'm not interested in you," I said as I turned back to look at the front..

Athrun shrugged but kept that stupid smirk of his. "Maybe... maybe not.. we'll see in the future. So.. which reminds me, you still haven't answered my question," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "I can't find either of my friends, since they're all busy. Besides, I like going up here, it's peaceful," I said.

Athrun was silent for a moment before asking, "Is Kira with you today?" he asked suddenly.

I nodded. "Yeah, but unlike before, he doesn't stay with me during classes. I guess he must find it boring since I can't really talk to him or else everyone will think I'm a nutcase who's talking to no one that they can see," I said.

Athrun gave a smirk. "Well you _are_ a nutcase," he said as I punched him lightly in the shoulder for making that comment.

"But then again, so _am_ I, since I can also see ghosts," he added and I slowly dropped my fist as I looked at him in wonder.

"Lacus wanted to tag along again today, probably so that she would be able to talk with Kira, which I don't mind. She's usually cooped up at home anyway, so a little fresh air would do her some good," Athrun spoke.

My mouth formed a small 'O'. Seems that Athrun was nicer to his ghost than I was to Kira. "Yes, Kira was also very excited that he got a chance to meet a ghost his age, so he really was _floating_ if you know what I mean," I said.

Athrun nodded as the bell rang, ending our conversation. "Anyway, I'll see you in class..," he said as he headed towards the door but turned his head so he still looked back at me. "It was nice, y'know.. being able to finally talk to someone who actually knows," he added before leaving.

I nodded as I realised that I was also happy to know someone else. I left the railing with a smile on my face and resumed my classes for that day.

* * *

**A/N: Well this concludes for this chapter! Hopefully, I'll be able to get more ideas in for the next chapter, since I'm running low on ideas.. Have any? If so, please let me know and I might use it! Thanks!**


	5. Unexpected Kindness

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all of those awesome reviews on my last chapter! They made me really happy though I had a bit of a writer's block and stuff. But nevertheless, here's another chapter with quite a bit of AxC fluff! Hope y'all like!**

**Question (Well not really): Hades.Throne.Heiress: And I sorta found it odd that Lacus is able to change Cagalli... but Kira's able to turn the lights off... so they CAN touch things...**

**Answer: Yes they aren't those ghosts that go through walls and stuff. So basically, they're like people, only just invisible to 'normal' people and they can choose to float around or walk like an actual person depending on their choice.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny nor the characters **

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**Chapter 5: Unexpected Kindness**

"_Now Cagalli, are you sure you can look after yourself while we are gone?" my mother asked as she held onto my hand tightly._

_I nodded as I resisted rolling my eyes about. This was the fifth time she asked me. "Yes mom. I'll be okay," I said, confirming once more._

_As the chief of the Morganraete Co., my father and my mother were asked to attend to some business deals in America and were staying there for a few months. "It won't take too long, two months at the most, I'm sure. So we'll be back before you know it," said my dad as he held onto his suitcase._

_I nodded as the PA called out, "Boarding now on Flight A028... Destination: America. Head to Gate A14.."_

"_You better go now, or else you'll miss your flight," I said as my mother hugged me while whispering, "We'll be back soon.. in the meantime, take care,"_

_And with that, my mom and dad boarded onto the plane. _

I sighed as I walked down Central Place. It had already been several days since my parents left overseas. Being alone at home turned out to be quite boring even if I did have Kira (who went to find Lacus to hang out with today) around, so I applied for a part-time job that took place on the weekends and afterschool to occupy my freetime. Being a waitress shouldn't be too hard, right? I mean even though I was going to work at a busy restaurant, it shouldn't be too hard taking orders and stuff. It was my first day, so I went in and greeted the manager, Mr. Todaka who gave me a smile and a set of instructions along with my uniform. "You should start by meeting the other employees and if you need help with anything, just ask them; they'll be happy to help you out," he said.

I bowed as I headed towards the changeroom to change into my uniform. As soon as I opened the plastic wrap, my first thought was: _Wow.. this is simple.._ It was a simple white sleeveless top with a mini white apron that had a red ribbon around it. I exited the room and walked slowly as I tugged on the black short skirt that ended high above my knees with impatience. Oh how I wished it was longer! "Seriously! How am I supposed to work in something like this?" I grumbled loudly just enough for me to hear.

But it turned out that someone also heard me. "Well well well.. fancy meeting you here," said a overly-confident voice.

My head snapped to the familarity of that voice. Auburn met Emerald. I narrowed my eyes. "_What_ are you doing here?" I demanded as I was met with a smirk.

"I work _here_. You must be the new employee, huh?" said Athrun as his smirk grew wider if possible.

It was then that I looked at his attire and noticed that he was wearing a formal white top with a collar and buttons down the side. Then he also had a black mini-apron wrapped around his waist and black pants along with black shoes that completed the outfit. I raised an eyebrow as I thought that he looked somewhat different in these formal clothing than his regular clothes. "Yeah so what? You got a problem with that?" I said as I tilted my head to the side in an annoyed manner.

Athrun flashed that smirk as his emerald orbs looked downwards. "No problem, but I gotta say... you got a fine pair of legs," he said with a gleam in his eyes.

My face reddened, not in a flustered way, but in an angry way. "ZALA!" I yelled furiously as I moved forward to punch him.

Athrun easily ducked as he caught my fist with his hand and did a half-step so he stood just mere inches away from me. He chuckled. "Temper.. temper.. You wouldn't want to kill your partner _just_ yet, afterall, we should get working," he said. "I'll show you around,"

I was still quite mad for that comment back there, but I allowed him to lead me towards the kitchen and introduced me to one of the chefs, Chef. Murdock.** (A/N: Chief Murdock, Chef Murdock... Kinda wierd imagining him cooking huh?)** "My my, what do we have here? A newbie?" he teased as he stopped what he was doing and took a good look at me.

I shrugged. "Everyone is a newbie at the begining," I said with a raised eyebrow as I shifted the weight all onto one leg.

Murdock grinned. "Damn right! I think we're gonna get along quite well. Since the restaurant hasn't been opened _just_ yet, I suggest you take a photographic memory of the tables and the menu, since we'll be receiving customers shortly," he advised.

I nodded. "Thanks, I'll go do that now," I said as I left the kitchen with a midnight-haired boy.

I went back and forth as I kept tabs on where each table was. Also, I noticed that there were little numbers on the tables so that made things quite easier. Then I sat down and checked the menu over, quickly revising on what was there so that I wouldn't feel like a complete idiot. But at the corner of my eyes, I saw someone looking at me funny. "What?" I said through narrowed eyes as I turned to face the fair-haired boy.

He just smirked and shrugged. "Nothing," he said as turned around to get something and walked over to where I was.

"Here, you're going to need this if you're going to be taking orders," Athrun handed me a small white notepad and a blackpen.

I took them and nodded my thanks. "So how long have you been working here?" I asked out of curiosity.

"A week," Athrun replied simply.

"Aren't there more employees other than us?" I asked as I folded the menu so that the restaurant's name stood out in front.

"Yes," said Athrun.

I felt a small vein pulse with annoyance at his short answers. "Well where are they?" I asked in a sharp tone.

Athrun shrugged. "They'll come shortly," he said in that indifferent tone of his.

By now I directed my gaze to him as I slammed my palm heels to the table He raised his eyebrows in an innocent manner. "What?" he said innocently.

I narrowed my eyes as I scowled. "Quit it with the short answers!," I was on the edge of yelling.

Athrun shrugged. "I like short answers," he said.

I glared at him. "You are so wierd," I spoke.

Athrun smirked. "First time I've gotten that; it's usually, 'Oh you are so charming'," he said.

I was on the verge to punch him when I noticed that a cute red-headed girl with pigtails came in with a similar uniform as mine came in. She walked up to us and stopped. "Good morning, Athrun and you are-?" she gave me a wierd look.

Athrun gave her a small nod of the head to acknowledge her greeting and I blinked, seeing that this question was directed at me. "Oh! I'm Cagalli Yula Athha, nice to meet you," I said.

The girl gave me a look of disgust. "I'm Meyrin Hawke," she said as she walked past me in a 'highly' manner.

I stared after her as a frown across my face. _What is __her__problem? I didn't do anything wrong_. I glanced over to Athrun who merely shrugged. "Well, Miss Athha, I see you've met some of our employees," said a voice.

I turned my head towards the direction of the sound and saw Mr. Todaka turning on the 'open' sign. I nodded. "Yeah... so does that mean we'll be busy in any minute?" I asked as I quickly gathered up the menu that I was looking at earlier and tugged on my skirt.

Mr. Todaka nodded once. "Yes, I have to go back to my office now. I wish you luck," he said as I bowed towards him before seeing him go.

"This isn't too hard, right?" I asked for a reassuring answer from Athrun.

Athrun shrugged as a smirk tugged on his lips. "Not for me, but then for the vertically challenged like you, it might be a problem," he said before turning to return to the counter.

I frowned. "Hey!" I yelled after him.

Shortly after, Athrun taught me how to greet the customers and before you knew it, bang! We had some. "Welcome to the restaurant! How many are we serving?" he said in a polite manner that surprised me, seeing that he actually smiled, _smiled_ not smirk.

I noticed it was a group of girls giggling and talking in high-pitched voices. "Four," said a girl with short margenta-colored hair.

I felt a small nudge at my elbow and I looked at him strangely. He gave me a look which meant that I was supposed to speak now. "H-huh? Aah! Yes.. please come this way," I said shakily as I lead the four girls to a table.

Athrun took several menus and brought them to their table. "Here you go, what you you like to drink?" he asked.

The girls each made different choices, ranging from tea to pop. Then Athrun lead me away. "Okay, next time, when there's a customer, I suggest that when you lead him/her to their table, pick up some menus at the same time," he said smugly

I nodded as I made a mental note. I gritted my teeth slightly as I felt that smug and arrogant tone that he just used. He liked being in charge and telling me what to do since I didn't really know. But I _will_ prove to him that I can do this right! "So, tea, water, juice and pop for table 4, right?" I said, repeating the decisions made by the four girls.

Athrun nodded before scooting me towards the side where most of the cups were found. "Get to it," he said as he noticed more and more customers coming.

I grumbled about being ordered around by Athrun, but I did what I was told. I filled up all of the glasses and took a tray. As I was giving the girls their drinks, I couldn't help hearing some remarks on _Athrun_. "He's so hot! He's kind, smart, extremely-good looking and well-built. I'd love to have Athrun as my boyfriend, he's everything my ex, Shinn Asuka isn't!" said the margenta haired girl.

I stole a glance at the said boy and I guess that I HAD to admit that he_ was _pretty cute. His fair blue hair was in order as always without a strand out of place and if he didn't look good in regular clothes before, he looked quite shocking in a simple restaurant uniform. The top traced his torso quite nicely, showing his well-built body and that smile could make anyone melt on the spot. _"_You were right, Mey, he is totally cute!"

At the mention of Mey, I looked up to find Meyrin Hawke sitting there with the four girls. "What are you doing?" I asked as I was wondering why Athrun and I were working our buts off while she wasn't.

"What's it to you? I'm a _cashier_. And only that. Since there's no bills yet to be paid, I don't have to work," she sneered at me.

My eyes narrowed in anger, but I tried to control my thoughts. _Easy... this is your FIRST day! You don't want to lose this job just yet. Besides, it'll give that JERK even more of a reason to smirk at me._ I wasn't sure whether I was able to manage a smile, but I tried my best. "Are you ready to order?" I asked.

The other girls nodded and placed their orders. As I quickly jotted them down onto my notepad and clipped them onto the line of orders that were read by the chefs, I noticed that the restaurant was getting busier and busier. When the meals were ready, I had to be the one to take them to the tables since Athrun already got his hands full with waiting the oncoming customers and serving drinks. I winced at the weight of the bowls that I had on the tray. They were a lot heavier than it looked. _Ugh.. I feel like the bowls are going to slip any minute!_ The tray felt like it was going to drop and I shut my eyes tightly to avoid seeing the disaster when I felt my trembling hands became steady as the weight was taken away. "Hey are you okay?" said a cool voice.

I re-opened my eyes to meet emerald orbs looking at me with a tint of concern. Athrun held the tray with one hand as he took it away from my hands. "Y-yeah..." I said, as surprise lit my voice.

Athrun gave me a small smile. "I'll take this while you go over to table 8 to take their orders. This belongs to table 4 right?" he said.

I nodded as I said a quick thanks and resumed my job. "Huh? I ordered something entirely different," said a man as I placed a bowl full of ramen onto his table.

I blinked in surprise as I looked down onto the little piece of paper with said 9. Then I looked closer at it and realised that it was a '6' read upside down. My face became really flustered as I apologized, "S-sorry for the inconvience,"

I was a little embarassed for making such a stupid mistake but I calmed myself down as I realised that there was more to do. I also noticed that Meyrin was back at the counter now and calmly sat there. "Can't you do anything more than just being the _cashier_?" I demanded as I was out of breath going back and forth so quickly.

Meyrin shrugged. "I would if I could, but hey look, someone over there wants his bill," she waved me away as she went back to the computer and printed the bill.

I clenched my teeth in annoyance as I resumed my duties. Eventually the my shift was close to being over since we were going to close for the day very soon. I was chatting along with Athrun and Chef Murdock back in my t-shirt and cargo pants when suddenly the last group of girls noisily called Athrun over. Athrun sighed as he warily went over to table 11. The girls were all giggling as he came closer and I noticed some of them were trying to flirt with him. "Athrun! When does your shift end?" one of the girls asked.

I looked to Chef Murdock who had a look of fatigue on his face. "What's that about?" I asked as the girls chatted noisily with Athrun, asking him questions like if he wanted to hang out after work.

"They always come here looking for Athrun," Chef Murdock explained. "Actually, this happens a lot. Girls just flock to the guy, not that I can't blame them. Afterall, that Athrun sure is the chick magnet," he said.

I made a soft 'oh' sound as I continued to wipe the tables. I stopped for the moment as I thought of how troublesome this might all have to be for him, being so attractive and all. Usually he would flirt with girls during school times, but here, it seemed a little different; he seemed uneasy with all of this nonsense going on. That fake smile I see on his face when he tries to get away from the conversation without hurting their feelings. I took the rag with me and marched over to that table. "Excuse me miss, our restaurant will now be closing. Please finish up and leave," I said, trying to keep my tone from being too rude.

A girl glared at me, who stopped her attempt to flirt with Athrun some more, eventually agreed and left with her friends. Athrun sighed and gave me a small appreciative smile. "Thanks," he said.

I blinked as I heard his gratefullness in his voice and nodded. "No problem," I said as I was finished and dumped the rag at the sink.

_There, I was done.. now I could go home and tell Kira about my day.._ I was about to leave when Athrun called out my name, "Hey Cagalli! Wait up!"

I spun around as I saw that indifferent look on Athrun's face. "Just wait a sec. Let me go change," he said.

I looked at him in confusion. "Wha-?" I said.

Athrun looked away from my face. "I'll walk you home. It's really dangerous for a girl to walk by herself at night," he said.

I blinked as I absorbed his meaning. "This will only take a sec," said Athrun as he went into the changeroom.

I leaned against the wall as I replayed his words in my head. Since when did he care? Then I heard the creak of an opening door and Athrun came out with a fashionable blackjacket with a forest green t-shirt that matched his eyes. I couldn't help but stare as I realised the truth that I overheard that bunch of girls Meyrin was hanging out with said; Athrun was pretty cool. "Cagalli?" I heard him say.

I shook my head to erase those thoughts. _He's probably only going to be nice __once__. I bet he'll revert back to that jerk of an attitude sometime soon..._ "Yeah?" I questionned.

"Let's go," was all that Athrun said and we said goodnight to the chef and Mr.Todaka before leaving.

"Athrun? But your house is on the other side of the city... wouldn't it be too much trouble for you to walk me home?" I questionned.

Athrun shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's not that far. If needed, I can take a taxi to get there," he said as we walked past the bridge.

"Thanks...Athrun," I said as we walked on.

Athrun gave a small nod. "So, don't your parents get worried that you're working this late?" he asked, making a conversation.

I shook my head. "A few days ago, they went overseas, so there's no one home other than Kira and I," I explained. "Speaking of that ghost, he should be at home waiting by now," I added as I felt the strong breeze of fall brush past my arms and shivered slightly.

But then I felt something soft cover my bare arms and shoulders. I looked up and saw that Athrun had placed his jacket over my shoulders. "You're cold," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes at him. "And you're not?" I said sarcastically.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm born in the fall, so I'm used to the weather," he said.

Eventually, we reached my house and as I walked up my steps and turned my head. "I'll see you then," I said.

Athrun gave a small nod. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'cuz I gotta run now... See ya!" he said as he ran off.

I crossed my arms as I thought that he was unextraordinary kind today, to have walked me home even though he was inconvient and busy. And at that moment, I realised that I still had his jacket on. "Wait-!" I called out, but by then he was already out of earshot.

_Oh well.. I'll just give it to him tomorrow at school.._ I thought as I entered my warm cosy home. "I'm home!" I called out to no one really, but to a certain translucent chocolate-haired ghost boy.

And as soon as the words left my mouth, out zoomed the said boy. "Hey Cags! How was your day?" he asked cheerfully. "Mine was terrific!"

As we went upstairs, I basically told him most of what happened except skipping a few parts about Athrun walking me home and all. "So where did you get that jacket then?" Kira said as he floated over to the neatly hung jacket by the door and sniffed it. "Smells like Athrun,"

"He lent it to me as we parted ways since it was quite chilly out and that he was taking a taxi home," I explained simply as I quickly changed into my pj's.

Kira made a soft 'oh' sound as he launched into his tale about his wonderful day with Lacus and how they went to the playground and everything. By the time he ended his tale, I turned off the switch and climbed into bed with the last thoughts (before falling asleep) about a certain multi-personality midnight-haired boy.

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**A/N: Not bad eh? Lol.. it took quite a long time for the idea to come, but I liked the idea of Cagalli and Athrun working together in that restaurant. Maybe it'll help them be closer, right? Anyway, let's show these very great people my gratitude for cheering me on and giving me hope:**

**revenantangel94, Minatsuki, yutakalamia, Hades.Throne.Heiress, athrunXcagalli4evr, Kween Of Roses, CagalliRules,Canadain-Girl, Jade Valentine, ChildishVampire, and my anonymous people that have reviewed!**

** It doesn't seem a lot, but to me every little thing means a lot to me! Thanks very much!**


	6. The Play

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for all those reviews on my previous chapters! They give me hope that at least a few people like reading my fics! Even if they take a while to update, I promise that I will never give up on writing my fics and eventually post them sometime. So anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sunrise, Gundam Seed/Destiny nor it's characters, because if I did as well as every other AsuCaga fan, Athrun and Cagalli would still be together! **

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**Chapter 6: The Play**

"And so, we'll be doing the ever so classical, Cinderella!" announced the Miss Simmons, the drama teacher as a lot of us groaned, hearing what play we would be doing.

I rolled my eyes as I stood in the corner. Why cinderella? The play was the same _every_ year! They could at least come up with something more original, couldn't they? "Oh come now, I know you must have seen the play at least once or twice, but hey, now it's your turn!" said Miss Simmons as everyone groaned again.

I turned to look at Kira who stood in the corner of the drama stage and he gave me a goofy grin while Lacus, the angel, gave me a sympathetic smile. "For the roles, we will be drawing them from these two boxes here," said Miss Simmons as she pointed to 2 boxes at her side. "Now, everyone, girls line up to the left and boys to the right,"

I sighed as we all relunctually lined up according to our gender. I noted as I saw the frowns of the first few girls that picked their roles and the shrugs of a few guys who most likely gotten the part as the stage workers who would be working on the backdrops. I swallowed hard as it was now my turn to pick a role. _Oh I pray that I will also get a small part such as a backstage worker! That way, I wouldn't have an enormous role to memorize._ My hand reached into the box and felt my way for a paper slip. My fingers gripped the closest slip and I lifted my hand out of the box. As I opened up the tiny paper slip, my face took on the role of horror.Out of all the paper slips that were there, I _had_ to chose the biggest role; Cinderella!

I groaned loudly as Kira's eyes danced mischievously as he knew my expressions and whispered quickly to Lacus, whose eyes also lit up, but in an innocent, excited way. "Now from the left to the right, please call out your roles when it is your turn, starting with you, Sai," said Miss Simmons.

"Backstage worker," he called out as many other voices followed right after him going from "Step-sister, step-mother, doubles, fairy-god mother prince's advisor etc"

As it was my turn, I sighed dejectedly as I voiced my as well, "Cinderella," I said glumly as I heard many voices of surprise.

"Why does she get the biggest role? That's not fair! I'm only a double!" said one girl while another said that I wasn't pretty enough to be cinderella.

Miss Simmons hushed them all and said, "Well, Miss Athha, that's one of the major roles, I believe that you will done fine for that role. Now, who is the prince that has yet to be named?"

"I am," said a cool but cocky voice as everyone's heads turned.

I gulped as I saw who the role of the prince belong to. It was none other than that bastard, Yuuna Roma Seiran! **(A/N: You thought it was gonna be Athrun right?). **I heard a few sighs of relief behind me as a few girls were saying how glad they were that _they_ weren't cinderella. "Ah.. Mr. Seiran and Miss Athha. Now as the lead roles, you must cooperate well together, so I expect you two to get along fine," said Miss Simmons as she began handing out the scripts.

I sighed dejectedly as I felt the world was against me; first being cinderella and then having Yuuna as the prince was definitely anyone's nightmare. I stood beside Mirillia as I asked, "What role do you have?"

Mirillia shrugged with a small smile. "I'm your step-sister," she said simply.

I held my head as I turned my face to look at her. "You and I should definitely trade places," I said.

Mirillia patted my shoulder. "Oh c'mon, being cinderella isn't so bad, and Yuuna.. is er.. not that bad either," she said.

I eyed Yuuna with distaste as he winked at me. I shivered noticeably as I sighed in defeat before walking over to him to work out our lines. In the corner of the drama stage, a pair of emerald eyes looked on with hatred as he saw an ugly purple-haired boy with a satisfied smirk on his face lock his arms around my waist.

"Oh my dear prince, how dashing you look tonight," I said trying to maintain the acid in my voice as I recited my lines.

Then as I waited for Yuuna to reply, I raised my eyes to see that he was looking at me hungrily._ First Zala the playboy and now this!_ "Would you please stop _looking _at me like that!" I nearly yelled as he gave me a sly smile.

"I like how the words came out of your lips like that, my _dear_," he said as he took my hands.

As he was about to embrace me (who was trying not to punch the living crap out of him), a voice interrupted us. "I believe that is not the correct action at the moment," said a cool familar voice.

I felt my body froze as I reopened my closed eyes. Yuuna narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw who had interrupted him. "What are _you_ doing here?" he sneered.

Athrun gave him a really cold look that would've froze anyone, anyone who was smart, that is. "_I_ am here because I'm the prince's double. So basically _I _am to take the role of the prince if you happen to well... let's say _unable_ to attend the night of the play," he said.

Yuuna's cold glare matched Athrun's as he replied icily, "I don't think that is going to happen, since I can look after myself,"

Athrun dropped the cold look and merely shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat. But still, I am to be practising with the two of you," he said as I met his eyes.

Yuuna said nothing as he ignored Athrun and resumed his position. "I have never seen a lady such as you before, will you dance with me?" he asked as he held out his hand to me.

As I was relunctually about to accept, Athrun interrupted him again. "That is so boring. It should be like this; I've never seen a lady as enchanting as you in these parts, may I grant you a dance?" he said with the air of a real prince as he bowed while keeping his eyes on me the whole time.

As I was about to accept, there was _another_ interruption: this time, it was Yuuna, who waved the script in front of Athrun's face with fury. "_That_ is not in the script! If it had been so, I would have no doubtedly done so much a better job than you," he protested.

Athrun gave a small smirk. "Yes, but Miss Simmons never said that we had to follow the script exactly. I believe that this play should be a little more dramatic, while the audience could feel the emotion between the prince and cinderella, am I not correct?" he said quite smugly.

Yuuna scowled but said nothing. "My princess?" Athrun resumed with a small smug smile, knowing that he had won at the moment.

I blinked, realising he was waiting for a response. "H-huh? Uh ..y-yes, I'd be delighted to," I recited as I took his hand.

* * *

We skipped the dancing part since the area was too small and secondly, I didn't feel like dancing at the moment. As the bell signaled the end of the day, I sighed in relief; I wouldn't have to see Yuuna anymore today. I parted ways with Kira because he said that he didn't want to spend his entire afternoon at the restaurant and preferred to talk to Lacus. Then I headed over to the restaurant and noticed that it was quite busy afterschool. "Hello there, Miss Athha, please change quickly; we're in need of a hand today," greeted Mr. Todaka as he looked up from the counter.

I nodded and changed quickly in the changerooms, but not before complaining on the shortness of the skirt that I had to wear. "Mck, I don't like this skirt" I grumbled as I quickly tied up my hair into a ponytail before heading out.

"Why not?" demanded a younger female voice as she overheard me grumbling to myself.

I looked up in surprise to seeing Meyrin with a raised eyebrow. "Because it's too short," I replied simply as I wriggled my foot so that they went into the shoe completely.

Meyrin gave me a you're-so-inferior look before saying, "Well _I_ think they're cute. But the likes of you wouldn't understand that," she said. "What would Mr. Todaka say if he knew you were talking instead of helping? I suggest you start moving right about now," she added smugly.

I narrowed my eyes in distaste of this girl but said nothing as I walked quickly to start serving food. "Rice Noodles with beef for Table 11!" I heard someone shout from the kitchen.

I took the tray with the bowl and I complained slightly of the weight but carried it out nevertheless to the assigned table. As I backed away to clear a table, my eyes met with Athrun's for a moment, but there was another table with 3 girls that asked for their orders to be fulfilled, so he left to do that. I quickly cleared a table with the cart and then started wiping down the table with a small rag, making it proper for the next customers. I laid down a few napkins and a few teacups. As I looked up, I saw that there were more people at the door, a few girls waiting to be seated. "I'll be right with you," I called out as I quickly pushed the cart away and greeted them.

I recognised one of the girls as I approched them. "Hey aren't you from yesterday?" I questionned a margenta-haired girl.

She gave me a wierd look. "So? I like coming here and my sister Mey, works here as well," she said.

I made a small 'o' with my mouth before saying, "Table for 4? Um... right this way," after searching for a clear table and leading them there.

"So, what would you like to drink?" I asked after they seated and looked at their menus.

The girls looked at each other and then gave me their orders. Before I left, I heard one of the girls chatter excitedly, "So Luna! Are you going to ask that really hot waiter out?"

The girl, Luna, shrugged. "I'd really like to, but I don't think that this is the place to do it. I'll ask him when I get the chance," she said.

By this point, I lost my patience and stormed away as I dropped the order off at the kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna leaving her table and took Athrun with her to away from the public eye and I knew what he was in store for. _Why should I care whether that girl asks Athrun out or not? He'd probably be delighted to be asked out. Though... I'm starting to wonder why he doesn't have a girlfriend, considering his popularity with girls... who knows?_I thought furiously to myself. But a voice interrupted my thoughts as I saw the blunette came back into my view. "Earth to Cagalli... you in there?" I felt him tap my head and looked up to meet emerald orbs looking down on me.

I whacked his hand away and looked at him coldly. "Yeah, what do you want?" I demanded as I picked up a dish full of string beans.

"It's not good to day dream while you're on the job, y'know?" he said with a smirk across that smug face of his.

I narrowed eyes. _Considering his attitude, he must have said 'yes'... that bastard..._ "I know that! And if _you'll_ excuse me, I have to deliver this," I said as I stepped away from him and delivered the dish to the correct table.

Athrun, with a smirk still on his face, only shrugged as he continued to greet people that were coming at the entrance.

Sometime near closing time, I heard the bell jingle as I heard the door open, so I greeted them without noticing them first, "Welcome!" I called out.

I heard a familar smug chuckle that said, "Well well well... so the rumors are true... you do work here, my dear Cagalli,"

My eyes looked on in shock as I saw the very face of Yuuna Roma Seiran, the man I wished I would not have to see for the rest of the day. I gulped, as I knew I had to serve him, considering that he _had_ to walk into this particular restaurant. "Yuuna..." I said, trying to keep my cool. "A table for one?"

He nodded before smirking, "Or, two, if you'd like to join me," he said.

I ignored that comment as I brought him over to his table. "Here's your menu... what would you like to drink?" I said as I tried to calm myself down.

I noticed that he gave me a 'dreamy' look and began to snap. "_I_ said, _what _ would you like to drink!" I repeated as I clenched my teeth in annoyance.

"Oh, well a glass of icy water would be nice," he simply said as he gave me another look.

I gave a nod before stomping off. With no one noticing, a killing aura could be felt around a certain someone as he witnessed the person who stared at me with a hungry look in his eyes. "Cagalli, could you please take those orders over there?" a masculine voice asked.

I spun around in surprise as I took an empty glass. "Huh?" I said.

"In exchange, I'll take that glass of water," said Athrun.

I shrugged. It seemed like a rather wierd request to do, but then again, I would love to get away from Yuuna even if it was just for a moment. "Sure, Table 13," I said as I tilted my head in the direction of the table.

"I know," said Athrun as he filled the glass with more ice than water before I left.

* * *

_Without my knowing...(Normal POV)._ "A glass of ice water," said Athrun as he approched the unsuspecting Yuuna.

"Zala! Why are _you_ doing here? Nevertheless serving _me_!" Yuuna whined like a young immature child as he refused the glass.

"_I_ am here because I work here as my part time job with Cagalli who's busy serving other people. The world doesn't revolve around you as the sun, and thank god for that," Athrun murmured the last part so low that Yuuna didn't hear him clearly.

"I want Cagalli, not some dimwit like you! Go get her now so that I can take my chances with her!" Yuuna ordered as if he was some superior person.

Inoticeable by others, Athrun's emerald eyes became like slits as he heard the words escape from this bastard's mouth. He lifted the glass of water and a scream could then be heard throughout the restaurant.

* * *

_Back with me!_: I turned my head as well as the few people who remained who heard that shriek and thought it was a girl, but who happened to be Yuuna... who was extremely soaked through the core. He had icecubes every where on him and was shivering madly. "Sir! What just happened?" demanded Mr. Todaka who marched directly to Yuuna after hearing that scream.

Yuuna, bug-eyed, pointed an accusing finger at Athrun while whimpering in a shocked voice, "H-h-he s-spilled w-w-wa-t-ter on m-me on p-p-pur-p-pose!"

Mr. Todaka narrowed his eyes at Athrun and I swallowed hard, knowing that Athrun was in trouble. But then he looked back at the pitiful Yuuna who was shivering like mad. "I am so sorry for my employee's actions. He shall be punished severly. But in the meantime, please take this 50 off coupon for the next time you come," he said.

Yuuna, who ceased shivering a little nodded as he took the coupon with a small smirk then directed at me when Mr Todaka told the customers that we would be closing very soon and that they should finish eating as soon as possible and then directed his gaze back to Athrun. "And _you_ will come with me to my office, now," he said, but to me, it sounded more of a direct order, but nevertheless Athrun didn't even wince.

My eyes followed after the retreating bodies until Meyrin's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "I wonder why Athrun did that... he isn't the sort to to do something bad on purpose," she said outloud in sheer wonder.

My mind was unable to focus as I wiped down the tables. I also pondered Meyrin's words about Athrun. _Why did he do that? Did Yuuna really infuriate him or something? What happened.. I wonder?_ I thought as the corner of my eye, I noticed Mr Todaka and Athrun come back. "That's it everyone... good work today! You're dismissed," he called out as soon as the jobs were done.

We bowed to Mr Todaka and got changed. As I saw Athrun's retreating figure going out the door, I ran up to him and called out his name, "Hey Athrun! Wait up!"

He turned his head in surprise but gave me an indifferent look as he said, "What do you want?"

My gaze shifted uncomfortably to the floor. "I ..uh.. wanted to talk," I admitted truthfully as my eyes sneaked a look at him.

His face surprised me for a moment, because it had become shadowy and dark. This wasn't the usual face that I was used to seeing. "We can talk tomorrow," he said simply as he headed towards the door.

This got me a little infuriated. I grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the restaurant, much to his surprise. "Come with me!" I ordered as he gave a surprised yell, "HEY!"

I ran quickly, dragging the athletic Athrun, who had no trouble keeping up, but was at an awkward angle because I grabbed his arm while running. I stopped running as we entered the town park which was quite silent, due to the darkness. "What do you want?" Athrun repeated his earlier question, but now with less ice in his tone.

I took a deep breath before facing him. "Why did you do that to Yuuna?" I asked as I glanced deep into his emerald orbs.

Athrun gave a small chuckle as I looked at him in surprise. "I wonder... how long will you be holding my hand?" he said with a small smirk on his face. "Not that I mind of course,"

"Oh!" I said as I realised that I still held onto his hand and immediately released him.

Then my eyes looked at him again, but in a peeved form. "Now answer my question!" I repeated.

Athrun's smirk faded immediately and his face darkened slightly. "He said somethings that I don't approve of," he said as he said no more.

My mouth took on an 'o' look as we stood there in silence. But then Athrun was also the one to break it. "He cares for you a lot; to come to see you during work," he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"I don't like men like him, whose arrogance blinds themselves. So, I don't care for him one bit. I'm only with him at the moment because we're unfortunately partnered up for the play, so there isn't much I can do about it since I don't have a double to take my place," I answered truthfully.

"Ah, I see," said Athrun, but I could just barely hear a tint of happiness in his voice after hearing my answer.

"So, what about Luna?" I spoke as I kicked a pebble as far as it would go and directing my gaze to the floor.

Athrun blinked. "What about her?" he asked, dumbfolded.

"She asked you out, am I correct? I heard her saying that she would," I said quickly as I sneaked a quick look at his handsome face in the moonlight shining upon him.

Athrun shrugged. "I refused her," he said simply as he directed his full attention towards my surprised face.

"What? W-why? I mean she's really pretty..." I said as I looked downwards again to avoid meeting those gazes of his.

"I don't care whether she's pretty or not... I may be a bit of a play boy, but truthfully, I was born for the love of just one girl out there and I don't think she is her," Athrun spoke with honesty in his voice completely as he stunned me for a moment.

"I-i see..." I said. "Well, it's begining to be late and Kira will wonder where I am, so I guess I'll see you later,"

Athrun gave me a nod. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.

As I took a step, I remembered that I still had Athrun's jacket, so I called out his name, "Athrun! I forgot to return this to you,"

Athrun spun around at the mention of his name as a familar jacket fell into his arms. He gave me a rare smile. "Thanks, Cagalli," he said.

I nodded. "See ya!" I said as I ran towards home with a tint of blush evident on my face.

While I was on my way, I couldn't help thinking how much more handsomer Athrun would be if he smiled more instead of that smirk, but still, he's a good person..

* * *

_Next day..._ "Everyone, I suspect you've all practised your lines for the play?" Miss Simmons asked.

We all nodded. "Very good, now I suggest you get along with the people that you will be working with," she said as she mainly directed this to Yuuna and I.

"Hold on, Miss Simmons, I would like to modify some of the roles," said a familar masculine voice.

Miss Simmons looked surprised but nodded nevertheless. "What is it, Mr. Zala?" she asked.

Athrun gave a bold face and his face shone within the whole drama stage. "Instead of Yuuna Roma being the prince, may I, his double take his place instead for Cagalli, the princess is playing," he said nobly. **(A/N: I took that line from Kamichama karin! That line was also said by Akira Ishida, Athrun's voice actor, though it was through Michiru's mouth) **

* * *

**A/N: Oooooh! Cliffie! Sorry about that, but it seemed like a pretty good place to end. Anyway, I hoped you all liked it and questions are more than welcome! **


	7. Bitter Pasts

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay: I was hoping to update either on Athrun's B-day or Halloween, but it turned out that I didn't have enough time on either days! But here's another chapter, though it was a little depressing to write about.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD or Sunrise  
**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Bitter Pasts**

My mouth dropped as I stared at him as if he was out of his mind. _What was he thinking?!_ Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Yuuna clenched his fists as his face took on an ugly scowl. "Impossible! Only _I_ am suited to be the prince, not him!" he stated.

Athrun eyed him dangerously. "I think the role of the prince should go to the one with more talent for acting, in other words: me," he countered as I swore that I saw a flame burn brightly in his emerald orbs.

"I disagree! The role should go to the one who has handsomer looks! Which is me!" Yuuna argued while I felt ill at his words.

Miss Simmons clapped her hands for everyone to quiet down.. "Alright alright! We will decide on who gets the role of the prince by voting on the personality and talent. Who ever gets the highest vote will take the role of the prince," she ordered.

There was a rumble of agreement through the crowd as everyone considered this idea. "Yuuna, you may read whatever line you want from the prince's script, but also remember to act it out as well," said Miss Simmons.

Yuuna gave a curt nod and flashed a smile at me, which sent shivers down my spine. He cleared his throat as he began. "Oh my fair lady, I believe that it has been a while since I've met one like you. May I wish that this dance would last forever," he quoted as he had a dreamy look on his face.

Miss Simmons gave a small nod before calling out Athrun's name. "Athrun, now it's your turn. Please proceed," she said.

Athrun nodded as he also looked at me in the eye. "I would like the help of Dearka, who plays the prince's most loyal friend to read one of his lines before reading mine," he said as Dearka looked his friend in the eye and knew instantly which he had meant.

"That is fine," said Miss Simmons as Dearka also stepped up to the spotlight.

"My dear friend, you look so lonely. Surely there isn't a lady here that takes your interest?" said Dearka as he looked quite sad for his friend.

Athrun held a gloomy look as he shook his head slowly, "Even hosting your own ball for your 18th birthday, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will meet the one you are fated to be with. I always believed that I could only love one woman, and here, I don't believe that it is any of them," he said sadly as he pretended to look about.

I blinked at his words. _Those were the same words he said last night!! That jackass made me believe that he wasn't a jerk for a few moments! How dare he?!_ I thought as I clenched my fist.Miss Simmons looked around the stage. "Well, please raise your hand if you would like Yuuna Roma Seiran to play the role of the prince," she said as only a few hands went up because they didn't want Athrun to play such a great role with the likes of me. "And for Athrun Zala?"

A great number of hands shot up as they were impressed with his talent for making things seem so real. "Well, there you have it. Athrun Zala takes the role of the Prince while Yuuna Roma Seiran takes the prince's double," Miss Simmons declared as the bell rang for lunch.

"B-but Miss S-" Yuuna whimpered as he held onto a sour face at losing the role.

Miss Simmons shot him a strict glare. "The votes has been cast and it clearly states that the majority would like Athrun to play the role. Now the bell has rung and _you_ are dismissed!" she declared.

Yuuna shut up, but by the looks on his face, I knew he didn't like being told what to do. I sighed as Mirillia giggled. "So, the talented Athrun will be playing the prince eh? Well you gotta admit he's better than that stuck-up loser," she said.

I sighed again. "Oh c'mon! He's not that bad, he's really popular you know?" Mirillia said cheerfully as she tilted her head in Athrun's direction.

My eyes followed hers and saw that Athrun was surrounded by girls and guys alike who were congratulating him on his success while every girl that was there were busy trying to catch his attention. I raised an eyebrow sarcastically as I looked away in disgust. "Well, _he's not that bad_ in your point of view, but I know better. He's such a jerk sometimes that makes me want to hate him," I said sourly as we left the stage. "Hey, don't you have that student council meeting today?" I asked as I remembered.

Mirillia gasped as she had also forgotten. "Yeah! That's right! Oh no, I'm going to be late! I'll see you later, Cagalli!" she said as she left down the hallway in a rush.

I couldn't help but smile a little at her, as her motions always bring a small smile on my face. _Now where should I eat? Too bad Kira decided to go to playland with Lacus... Oh well, I guess I'll eat on the roof again..._ I decided as I went pass the 3rd years' hallway and up the stairs to the roof. As I opened the door, a strong breeze brushed past me as I shielded my eyes with my arm. When I lowered my arm, I noticed that the roof wasn't empty; there was someone else there, by the railing, looking lost in thought.

This beautiful person's neck length hair blew past him swiftly, looking very soft and delicate. His unzipped jacket flapped in the wind while he looked out in a dreamy state. _Oh! _I said to myself in surprise. This beautiful person turned out to be Athrun Zala. As much as I hate him a few moments before, all thoughts of dislike flew away instantly, like with the wind. Just seeing him stand there in the bright sunlight, and with a gentle breeze blowing past him, he seemed like a god at that moment.

_Wow... amazing... no wonder he is so popular with women... just look at him! He practically is a god!_ My innerself almost screamed as I stood at the doorway staring at the said boy. _It makes me wonder... if the words he said yesterday were true, about him only being able to love one woman, and no other.. or was he just being dramatic and rehearsing his lines on me?_ I stood there pondering when a sudden voice of surprise snapped me out of my thoughts, "Cagalli?"

"H-huh.. Oh!" I mumbled in surprise as my face turned slightly red when I found that I was facing Athrun.

I hated the idea that he had caught me starring at him in wonder. "U-uh.. didn't expect to see you here," I said quickly.

Athrun gave me something that wasa between a smirk and a smile. "I just came up here to be alone," he said with a half shrug.

I nodded slowly as I began to head to the door. "Uh okay... I'll just go then," I said as I took a few steps, but felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Nah, it's okay. I don't mind you being here," said Athrun with a small smile.

I gave a small smirk as I turned to face him again. "So the talented Mr Zala is finally sick of those fan girls eh?" I teased.

Athrun countered with his own oh-so-famous smirk. "No, I just felt like getting some air through my system. Why? Are you _jealous_?" he said with an air of confidence.

I narrowed my eyes so that they became cat-like. "In your dreams, Zala," I said as I walked over to the railing to feel the wind brush against my face.

I sighed peacefully as I liked how it felt. "It feels nice," I said softly as Athrun came over to my right side.

"So, are you going to work today?" Athrun asked.

I shook my head. "Nope, I have today off. What about you?" I questionned as I looked over at his perfect face.

Athrun shrugged. "Was supposed to have today off as well, but as part of my punishment for yesterday's behavior, I have to work today," he said indifferently.

"I see... would you like Kira and I to hang around with Lacus until you finish? That way she won't be lonely," I offered.

"If it's okay with you, I'd be grateful," said Athrun as he flashed me his winning smile.

I nodded. "It's fine with me and I'm sure Kira will be delighted; he has finally found a ghost friend after so long," I said.

There was a short moment of silence before Athrun spoke again, "So, how long has Kira been in the state that he's in now? You two seem very close," he as he leaned slightly over the railing.

I lowered my head slightly. I knew that I would have to answer this question eventually after meeting someone who also had a ghost companion. "Ever since he died when we were 6 years old," I said softly as I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ears.

* * *

**Flashback: **

"_Ugh, will this rain ever stop?" I asked as I kicked the soccer ball a few paces a head of me._

_Kira held the umbrella over the two of us, since he was the bigger one and looked up. He sighed, "No, I don't think so.. it has been going on for several days now, hasn't it," he said._

_I nodded. "I wish it would stop; I can't play soccer well in the rain," I said._

_Kira smiled. "Is all you think about is soccer?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice._

_I nodded as I faced him. "Of course! What is better than soccer? It's the best sport you can ever play! But, the ball doesn't go as far in the rain because it absorbs quite a bit of water," I said._

"_What about indoor soccer?" Kira questionned as we crossed the crosswalk to go home together._

_I scowled. "I don't like indoor soccer very much. Often, the room is way overheated and the space is so small. I prefer something that has more room," I said._

_Kira laughed. "You'll never change, Cagalli," he said._

_As I dribbled the ball between my feet, the ball accidentally rolled out onto the street. "Oh no! That's my only soccer ball!" I cried out as I threw my backpack and rushed out, ignoring Kira's cry, "No! Don't!"_

_As I bent down to get my ball, I turned my head sideways to see a flash of yellow light and froze in fear. But as I raised my arm to protect myself, I felt a body push me away as I rolled onto the wet sidewalk. I looked up immediately to find that I was still alive, but remembered that someone had pushed me. "Kira!" I yelled as I looked for my best friend._

_I dropped my soccer ball in shock as I saw his limp body lying on the street as the car sped away immediately. "KIRA!" I yelled as my face was stained with tears._

**End of Flashback.**

* * *

"Everything became a blurr to me... but the fact remained that Kira died while he had saved me. All because of a stupid soccer ball," I said bitterly.

I relaxed my shoulders slightly as I continued my story. "But, I was grateful when I met him again, though he was no longer alive. Only a month passed since his funeral, but to me, my life was empty. Kira was no longer here with me. I was alone. I often spent my time wandering somewhere without realising it and one day, I got lost in the woods at night," I said as I exhaled painfully.

"I was scared. Everywhere I looked, I would find different trees that were unfamilar. And with my imagination, the trees had fierce expressions of anger and pain. The more I ran, the more lost I got. Without warning, I tripped over a root and landed harshly as the ground, sobbing, not because of the pain, but the emotions that I had kept within me were painful. It was then that I saw a faint light and saw a translucent hand reach out to me. 'Don't be afraid,' said the boy as my eyes widened to hear the voice that I haven't heard for so long,"

"When I looked up, I was delighted, but shocked to see Kira again. But that didn't stop me from hugging him so tightly. As he lead me the way home, he told me that he was bound to me until I can get rid of my sadness and find happiness, but as you can see, I haven't been able to find it," I explained with a small sigh.

Athrun gave me a sad smile as I knew he understood my feelings. "Lacus and I... had a similar turn of events happen to us, though we were a little older than you were; we were 10 years old," he said.

"You see, my mother died when I was a little kid so I never really felt love and care from someone because Father was always so busy. But one thing he did right was that he respected mother's last wishes, which were to let me have a life of happiness. Even though it happened a lot earlier than it was supposed to, I met Lacus, who was to be my fiancée. She was kind-hearted, like my mother, who I barely had any memories of. She took care of me and was always by my side. I loved her a lot. One day, she said that she would be going away on a trip to see her grandparents, in the States and even though I didn't want her to go, I knew that if I loved her, I would let her go and so, I did,"

"I prayed every night that she would be okay on her trip, but sadly, my prayers were not answered. The day that I knew that her plane must have landed, I tryed to get in contact with her, but to no avail. A few days of trying, I began to worry. Where was Lacus? And why couldn't I reach her. When one of my maids brought in the newspaper, she held onto me and wept. I couldn't understand why she was crying until I saw the headline: _'Passenger aircraft for California crashed! No survivors'_ I died that day,"

"Why..? WHY?! Why weren't my prayers answered?! Lacus was the last person that deserved to die and yet she did! I should have prevented her from going... I knew I should have, but why didn't I? But either way, it was too late now. She was gone and unless I could turn time backwards, I would never see her ever again. My life was over; I stopped doing whatever I used to do in my previous life. I was getting weaker and weaker and knew that I was going to die soon, but I no longer cared; Mother and Lacus were waiting for me,"

"It was then a voice called out to me. 'Don't give up, Athrun! We don't want you to end up like this'. I felt a cool hand touch my forehead as the melodic voice began to sing softly. That song brought me hope again as I knew who was singing it; it was Lacus. Even though she no longer had a solid body, her spirit was with me, and she was able to convince me that even though she wasn't living, it meant that I shouldn't try to throw my life away so easily. It meant that I should live for as long as I could and perhaps find true love, which I am still searching for," said Athrun as he faced me with a sad, yet determined look in his face.

I looked down. "So you did mean those words yesterday, when you said you could only love one person," I said softly.

He nodded. "Of course. That is also what Lacus believes as well," he said.

The bell rung and as we left the roof, Athrun gave me a rare smile that was not a smirk. "Cagalli, since we both have tragic events that happened to us, let's both do our best to find what we are looking for," he said.

I gave a nod. "Yes," I agreed.

* * *

**A/N: Well I hoped you liked it! It seemed like an appropriate place to end this chapter, though it was a little short. We're almost half-way through the fic and I'm quite happy because I keep getting a lot of ideas for more fics, but wants to finish this one first... well what do you think? Go to my profile and see which fic you would want to read about next!**


	8. Unexpected circumstances

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all of those great reviews I got in the previous chapters! They made me really happy that you guys kept reading, so here is the 8th chapter featuring the play!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny in anyway because if I said I did, my fic would be removed and then the real company would sue me, right? **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Unexpected circumstances**

Many days passed and with each passing day, I spent my time rehearsing my lines for the upcoming play that was to take place the day after tomorrow. And being pesky as usual, Kira helped me out by critizing my each movement."Oh how I wish I could go to the ball with my sister and my step-mother," I said as I held the script in my hand.

"Not like that!" Kira argued. "Say it with more emotion! Say it as if that's what you long for, not saying it in digust,"

I scowled at him. "You're lucky you don't have to do this," I said icily.

Kira grinned. "I know, that's why I can be picky. Anyway, go back to the second section and start over again," he directed.

I groaned before restarting. If I wasn't practising with Kira, I was practising with Athrun and Lacus, since I took time off work to practise my lines. "My prince, what a marvelous ball you have today," I said indifferently.

Athrun gave me a smirk. "Very nice tone, Cagalli. You definitely sound like a princess," he said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't _even_ want to be Cinderella in the first place. I wanted to switch with Mirillia, but _no_, she wanted to see me act out the grand role," I muttered.

Lacus gave me a sympathetic smile. "C'mon Cagalli, it's only for one night. Once the play is over, you'll never have to rehearse these lines again," she said.

"I better not," I grumbled as I laid onto my back and stared at the ceiling. "So this play is only for the students, right?" I questionned as my eyes drifted over to a handsome, yet arrogant guy.

Athrun nodded. "Yeah, it takes place in the evening for the whole school," he said as I groaned again. "But hey, look on the bright side: We get to go up to the mountain resorts for a few days after the play is over and done with," he said with a half smile.

I sighed as I sat back up. "That's the _only_ thing I'm looking forward to, I mean we gotta have a reward for so much work," I said.

Lacus gave a small nod. "Yes, of course. But in the meantime, we have to keep practising your tones and your actions, Cagalli," she said as she handed me back my script, which I relunctually took them.

* * *

The next days past swiftly and the big day came for me. "Do I_really_ have to wear such a frilly dress?" I asked in disgust as I saw the 'dream' gown for cinderella, which was pink and lacy.

Mirillia shrugged. "Well there's two choices: the spring green dress or this one. I know they're not what you'd like, but they're the only ones that we have and they both have a bit of lace on them," she said as she went over to the wardrobe and took out the spring green one.

After an exasperated sigh, I had to chose the green one; the pink was hidious. "I think the pink one would suit you, Mir," I noted as I looked at my friend.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Seems a little awkward, but I guess I can wear it. I'm kind of happy that the changed a few of my lines, don't you? I mean, my lines were kind of evil to play before.. but instead of being an evil step-sister, you got me as your sister," she said as she held the gown in front of her, looking at the mirror.

I nodded as I brushed out my raggedy clothing. "Yeah, though that last minute change was kind of wierd. Anyway, how do I look? Pitiful enough?" I said with a hint of mockery in my tone.

Mirillia grinned. "Yep, now that I think about it, the role of the step mother really fits that Meer, doesn't it?" she said as she casted a glance at the said girl who was complaining to the girl that was working on the makeup.

I returned the grin. "Yeah, definitely," I said as I studied my appearance in the mirror.

Mirillia laughed. "Did you see her stare daggers into you that day when Athrun said he was the prince," she questionned with a smile.

I nodded. "If looks _could_ kill... I'd be long dead... but they can't, so too bad for her. I think I am ready," I said as I stood up and swallowed hard.

"Relax, Cagalli and everything will go okay. Just think of that reward trip we're gonna have afterwards! Besides, wait until you see Prince Athrun, I hear he looks absolutely gorgeous," Mirillia winked.

My eyes widened at her words. "H-hey! W-wait!!" I shouted, but Mirillia gave me a grin and left the changerooms without another word.

I hmphed impatiently as I thought about her last sentence. _Why did she say that? And why to me? Grr.. I can't WAIT until this play is over!_ I walked over to the door of the changerooms and met Lacus there, who was waiting for me. "You can do it, Cagalli," she cheered me on.

I gave her a small smile, I mean who could resist giving that girl a smile even in the worst circumstances? "Thanks Lacus, I'll do my best and hopefully Athrun will as well," I said, mumbling the last part.

Lacus smiled. "Don't worry, he will. He has been working harder than everyone to get his part right, so it'll be okay," she encouraged.

I said nothing as I only gave a small nod. "Good Luck Cagalli! I'll be watching in the audience as soon as I can find Kira, who seemed to have disappeared at the moment," said Lacus, frowning slightly at her last words.

"See you then," I said with an awkward smile as I headed to the stage, which was still shielded with red curtains and sat on the floor, next to a bucket of water and a rag.

* * *

_Elsewhere.._ "So Athrun, do you think you're ready?" asked a ghostly figure.

"Yep, I've been waiting for this for quite a long while. Everything should go smoothly, right Kira?" said the blunette.

Kira smirked. "I bet Cagalli is fretting somewhere. She's never been good at playing her role in front of a large audience and from what I saw, it is _quite_ an audience," he said.

Athrun shrugged as he grinned. "_I know_. But she'll do fine, afterall, the role of cinderella fits her quite nicely," he said before turning to the adolescent ghost. "Aren't you going to go sit with Lacus?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah, just wanted to make sure you're all ready," he said for support.

Athrun grinned. "Definitely, wish me luck," he said as Kira flashed him a smile before heading down to the audience.

* * *

_Back to me: _I swallowed hard as the lights were being lit up all around the stage and my breathing got faster. _Okay Cagalli! Don't fret! Just go for it!_ The curtains rose slowly as the audience began to clap. As I looked up slightly, the lights blinded me for an instance, but I could tell that our whole school was here to watch. And from the corner of my eyes, I saw Kira and Lacus wave at me, from the second row.

Immediately, I looked back down to the floor and wiped pitifully at the dirtied ground as I heard footsteps approaching. "Cinderella! Have you _finished_ our dresses?" demanded a haughty voice.

I looked up as Meer Campbell and Mirillia walked onto the stage. Meer gave me a glare while Mirillia smiled apologetically. I stood up immediately. "O-oh! No... I've been so busy with my chores.. that I-i've forgotten," I said as I lowered my head slightly.

Meer Campbell screeched out in fury, "You _useless_ good-for-nothing child! I was good-hearted enough to take you and your sister in after my sister's death, but this is _how _ you repay me?" she said furiously. "The grand ball is tonight and we will have nothing to wear! You will go without supper and I don't want to hear a peep out of you until you finish our dresses!"

I looked up in shock. "Finish?! I cannot finish with a time this short!" I cried out in despair.

Meer's face darkened. "Then you shall go without supper for a whole week if you are not able to finish our gowns tonight! Everyone is going to the ball and I _will not _be disgraced! Now go!" she said as she picked up a stool and threw it at me, who dodged it easily.

The scene changed as a new background now took place. I was now in the darkness of the closet trying to work on the dresses when I heard a gentle knock and looked up. Mirillia came in with a plain white dress. Her face looked quite troubled and uncomfortable. "Here's some soup that I managed to smuggle when Aunt wasn't looking... ," she said as she handed me a small chipped bowl and a wooden spoon.

I gave her a smile of gratitude. "Thanks, Mel. Are you looking forward to the ball?" I asked as I quickly ate the cold soup.

Mirillia kneeled down onto the cold floor to sit next to me. She sighed heavily. "I want to go, but I don't want to go without you, sis. It's a bad thing; having fun while you're stuck at home with endless chores and misery," she said as she lowered her head.

I tried to give her a small smile as I patted her shoulder. "Hey don't worry about it... it's not your fault that you are similar to the daughter that Aunt has lost, so that she treats you better than me. Even if I'm not there, I still want you to have a good time, so don't let it bother you," I said as I handed her back the emptied bowl.

Mirillia said nothing as she looked down at the cold ground sadly. "You better go, before Aunt notices that you are gone; she won't like you being here with me," I said as Mirillia nodded and gave me a hug before going.

As I heard the door close, I sighed in despair. How was I going to finish two gowns? "I want Mel to be happy, but with the time given, I can barely finish one," I said discouragedly.

"I can help you with that," said a voice and everybody's heads turned, including mine.

Out of the darkness, Shiho came out in a beautiful white hooded gown. Truthfully, since most of the stage was lighted, there was one area that was not and had a trapdoor that opened when you pressed a botton. That was how Shiho came unnoticed since most the attention was already directed to me. "Your unselfishness proves you worthy of being twice the person you truly are, which is fit to be a princess. I am your godmother and I will grant you any wish you want, though be wary of what you use your wishes for," she said as everyone gawked at her in shock and surprise.

I blinked at her as I had the look that I was unable to believe my ears. "Really? You'll help me?" I asked.

Shiho nodded. "Yes, but choose your wishes wisely, because if I do not like your wishes, I can choose to turn against you," she said.

I thought for a moment before knowing what I wanted. "I wish my sister and my aunt could have beautiful gowns so that they could go to the ball that is to take place because it is the prince's birthday," I said.

Shiho gave a short nod as she waved her hand. Another area that had been in the dark was now lighted, so that the audience could now see the two gowns that Mirillia and Meer were going to wear. "And how about a wish for yourself?" Shiho asked as she took a step closer.

I blinked in surprise. "For myself?" I repeated as Shiho nodded.

"Yes, I know what you can wish for... to go to the ball tonight," she suggested.

I pondered for a moment. "I don't really care all that much about the prince, but I guess I do want to see my sister happy, so why not?" I said, agreeing in the end.

Shiho waved her hand and said, "Granted, but be wary: you must return by midnight for as gentle as I appear to be, I can also be evil,"

This was now my cue to get off the stage and back into the changeroom which had my dress ready. While I went off, I could hear the background being changed and dancers getting onto the stage. I quickly changed into Cinderella's spring green gown that I had chosen earlier. I sighed as my partner quickly did my hair and added a bit of makeup. "You're doing good, Cagalli," she said as she quickly tied my hair into a ponytail.

I gave her a small smile. "Heh.. thanks, but I'm glad that I was able to get out of the spotlight for a moment," I said gratefully as she did her finishes.

It was time for me to go back onto the stage. As I rounded the rear, I could hear music playing, as if this was a real ball and heard Dearka speak, "Really, Alex! Why won't you dance with any of these fine ladies?"

Then I heard a familar sigh and knew it was my cue to step onto the stage as Athrun spoke, "Well, my friend, only one woman can ever capture my heart and none of these women here interest me in the slightest," he said as the audience sighed.

Now I knew what Mirillia meant earlier. 'Prince Alex' AKA Athrun Zala was dressed extremely fine, so fine that you would really think that he was a real prince. He wore a red suit with gold lining and black boots. Unlike most fairy tale princes, Athrun had refused to wear a crown of any sort, but still looked extremely handsome, even though I hated to admit it.

As I spotted Dearka courting Mirillia into dancing with him, I noticed a shadow loom over me and actually did look up in surprise. It was Yuuna. "My, what a lovely maiden you are... like a princess. Will you grant me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked as I gawked at him.

He wasn't supposed to say that, heck for it all, he wasn't _even_ supposed to be here! Yuuna shot me what he called a 'handsome smile' as he forcefully took my hand. "H-hey! Wait! No!" I protested as I tried to pull my arm away.

"Come on now, don't be shy, baby. I know... it's pretty rad to be dancing with someone like me eh?" Yuuna smirked as he took my waist.

I felt shivers go up my spine. What the heck was going on? And what does he think he was doing? A tap on Yuuna's shoulder stopped him. "I see that this young maiden seems umcomfortable with you. I suggest that you stop forcing her to dance with you if she doesn't want to," said a cool voice and I looked up to find Athrun looking icily at Yuuna.

Yuuna narrowed his eyes at Athrun. "What are you talking about? As you can see, she is delighted to be with me," he sneered.

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I don't see it that way. If you will not let go of her hand this instant, I will not hesistate to have you removed from the ball," he said.

But that only made Yuuna hold me closer. "Remove me? Ha! That's a joke! You and what pathetic army?" he sneered.

Even as Athrun tried to keep his cool, I could tell he was going to crack. "Guards!" Athrun ordered to no one in particular.

Everyone stopped dancing and stared at him. What was going on? Mirillia shot me a questionning look, but I gave her one in return because this was not in the script at all. Dearka looked shocked as well as Athrun directed his gaze to him. 'What?!' Dearka mouthed.

But Athrun only gave him a curt nod and a strong look in his eyes as Dearka understood immediately. "Yes SIR!" he said as he excused himself and took the protesting Yuuna away.

"Y-you can't do this! DO you know w-who I am?!" he protested, but no one paid much attention to him as Dearka dragged him away. "T-this is NOT the last time you will hear from me!"

As soon as the menace was removed, the music continued and there was more dancing. Only I, who stared in shock, remained unmoving. "My lady, I apologize for the distrubance that man has caused, but may I have this dance?" Athrun asked as he bowed and held out a single hand.

Numbly, I remembered that I still played the role of cinderella and accepted his hand. "What happened back there?" I whispered when our backs were turned to the crowd.

Athrun shrugged. "I don't know," he answered as a smirk was evident on his face, "But whatever it is, I can use it to my advantage,"

I stared at him as he whispered those words. "I've never seen one with such beautiful eyes, my lady, are you from around here?" Athrun asked, in the prince's voice.

"Yes, but this is the first time that I have seen you up close, your highness," I said as we twirled.

"Look, we have the attention of everyone," said Athrun as we stopped our dance to see that everyone was applauding.

Athrun then directed his attention to me. "May I know your name?" he asked politely as I heard the clock strike 12 midnight.

I gasped in horror as I knew I had to go immediately or else something bad would happen. "I-i'm sorry!" I cried out as I ran.

I ran out of the stage and back into the changeroom where I changed back into my rags and quickly wiped off my makeup and shook out my hair. Then I went back to the stage where I found Athrun and the others looking shocked as Athrun picked up a golden bracelet that was dropped by me. "That girl was the only girl who I thought I would ever have such strong feelings for. I promise that if I return this bracelet to it's proper owner, I'll marry her; whoever she is," said Athrun and then the background changed again, so that it was now back to my house.

I panted heavily as I stepped back on stage. "Whew! I made it just on time. Now I think I better return these to my fairy godmother, before she gets mad," I said as I held out the beautiful spring green gown in front of me.

I also took off my heels that were actually killing my feet and placed them with the gown. After that, I took off the bracelet, but then I played horror on my face. "Oh no! I can't believe I lost that matching bracelet! I hope she won't be too mad, because I can't go back there looking the way I look at the moment," I said outloud to myself.

On cue, Shiho stepped onto the stage, "It is alright. I'll take back everything I gave you, but as a momento of the ball, I would like you to keep that bracelet," she said.

I blinked at her as I absorbed everything she said. "Thank you very much for the night, I had an exhilirating time," I said truthfully.

Shiho nodded as took back the gown and the heels. "Glad to hear it," she said as she then vanished once more.

The next day, I was once again, Cinderella, the one who swept floors and did endless chores. I sighed sadly as I took out my bracelet from underneath my apron and looked at it, but a knock at the door surprised me. Meer went across the room quickly and took a peek from the window. She squealed in delight. "Oh my! It's the prince! I wonder why he has come to our little home," she said as she then turned to me, "You! Go in the back! I don't want the prince to see such an ugly creature such as you,"

I narrowed my eyes but did what I was told. I went into the backroom, but kept the door open because I wanted to know what was going on as well. As Meer opened the door, Dearka stood out in front, "I hereby announce the prince's arrival!" he said as a red carpet was rolled to reveal Athrun.

He cleared his throat as he stepped into view. "As you may have been notified, I am searching for a certain maiden, who has lost this bracelet last night at the ball. May I ask if either of you have the matching pair to this particular bracelet?" Athrun asked as he held out the golden bracelet for everyone to see.

I gasped in surprise as I realised that the bracelet that I had dropped was now in the Prince's hands. "Oh my god! What does he want with me?" I whispered loudly so that the audience could hear.

Mirillia shook her head. "No, neither my aunt nor I have a matching bracelet," she said as the face of Athrun dropped slightly while Dearka's remained happier if possible.

Mirillia then lifted her head. "But, my sister, Cinderella may have one," she said as she gestured over to the backroom.

I gulped as I saw the prince step closer. "Cinderella, will you please come out so that I can see your face?" Athrun demanded gently.

Almost shyly, I opened the door and stepped out so that everyone could see my face. "You resemble the girl from last night. Do you have a bracelet like this?" he asked as he held out my other bracelet.

I looked at the object carefully to make sure it was truly mine. It was; it had the same markings and I was sure it was one of a kind. As I said nothing, Athrun asked again, "Answer, yes or no,"

I reached a hand into the pocket of my apron and brought out the same object as it reflected in the light. Everyone gasped. "That's the missing pair!" Dearka remarked as Athrun then closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, he was smiling. "Indeed it is. I may now return the other to you," he said as he held out my other bracelet.

I reached out to take it, but Athrun moved his hand back. "But you may have it on one condition," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?" I asked.

Athrun smiled. "Be my princess," he said.

I nodded. "Yes, your highness, it'd be a great honor," I said with a smile.

Athrun grinned. "Call me Alex," he said.

And then the play ended there as we 'lived happily ever after' even with the wierd stuff going on in the middle, but still, it was a great success. Lacus and Kira also congratulated me on my surprise success at the end. As for me, we had a small celebration party afterwards and it was there that Miss Simmons noted that the small change was still a great hit. "For all of your hard work, we will be going up to Aprilius Mountain in about a week, so start preparing!" she declared as everyone cheered, including me as well.

Exhaustedly, I said goodnight to everyone and then headed home with Kira. "Oh god Kira... I'm so tired," I said as I heated up an evening snack.

Kira laughed. "Yeah, you must be," he said as my eyelids began to droop. "Though it was kind of strange in the middle. But oh well, in the end, everything works out okay, right, Cagalli?" he said as he turned to face me.

Kira smiled as he noticed that I was too fatigued and gave up on making a snack before going to bed. Without my knowing, Kira brought me into my room and then tucked me underneath the covers. "Good night Cagalli, see you in the morning," he said as he then patted my hair gently and then switched off the lights.

* * *

A/N: How was that? I hope it wasn't too bad. I know cinderella is extremely common, but I needed a story that basically everyone already knew so that I wouldn't have to explain the plot too much. There wasn't a whole lot of Asucaga fluff here, but I'll try to get more of the two in the future chapters. The same goes with Kira and Lacus, since their roles haven't been paid too much attention from me for a while. But I'm sorta running short on ideas with Kira and Lacus, except the ending. Any suggestions? Anyway, when the story is done, which fic should I do next? Please go to my profile and send me your suggestions! Plz and thanks!

Le Royaume de Paix: 1 vote


	9. Inner Feelings

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the 2-day delay! Thanks for all the reviews! I just finished typing this up this morning! I had a little brainstorming lately, so please excuse me if this chapter is not that well done. Anyway, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD! **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Inner Feelings**

The next few days were quite wierd for me. For one thing, we had another new transfer student in my class and the glare she gave me when she recognized me as she came in. Any guesses on who she was? "This is Meyrin Hawke. She is younger than all of you by 2 years, but she has passed all of her exams with flying colors, so she is in the same grade as you all," said Miss Ramius as the pig-tailed girl gave a shy smile to the class.

"I hope we can be friends despite that. Please look after me while I am here," said Meyrin as many boys cheered.

I scowled. Why did she come to this school? I saw her often enough at work, but now at school as well? So troublesome! That girl hates me for some reason that I don't know about. I mean.. who could hate me? Well, actually, now that I think about it... quite a lot of people.. people like Meer. But then again, she's another story... "Miss Athha!" called a voice as I snapped back to reality.

"Y-yes Ms. Ramius?" I stammered as I looked up.

She gave me a small smile. "If you're not too busy daydreaming over there, would you mind showing Miss Hawke around our school?" she asked.

I gawked at her. Was she asking what I think she was? Was she asking _me_ to show _that_ girl around? I couldn't believe my ears. "You serious?" I asked.

Miss Ramius sighed. "Please don't answer my question with another question. And yes, I am serious," she replied.

I felt like sighing of my own, but didn't. "Alright," I said relunctually.

Miss Ramius then gave me a small nod. "Then I'll excuse you for this period," she then turned to Meyrin. "If you have any questions, please ask her," she said.

Meyrin nodded and smiled like an angel. "Let's go," I said indifferently as I headed out of the classroom.

As soon as we were out of the classroom, I faced the girl. "So, what are you doing here?" I asked.

Meyrin raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? I got here because of grades," she replied stockily.

I narrowed my eyes as I thought about her reply. It could be true... afterall, this school had a pretty good academic record. "Okay, I believe you. Let's go down this hall, and towards the library," I said as I showed her the way.

_Maybe if I be nice to her, she'll be nice in return? The reason why she's always this difficult could be because I'm always 'not exactly' nice either... Oh well, I'll give her one chance.._ "So do you have any club activities you think you would like to join?" I asked, trying to make a conversation.

"Not really," said Meyrin as we rounded the corner.

I narrowed my eyes at the girl. I was trying to make our uncomfortable silence not uncomfortable, but she was not making things any easier. "I see. So, what do you like to do afterschool?" I questionned.

Meyrin stopped walked and turned around to glare at me. "What are you? A _stalker_?" she demanded.

I stopped and returned her glare as well as my patience finally snapped. "_WELL!_ I was _just_ trying to make a conversation, do you really have to be _that_ difficult?" I countered hotly.

Meyrin and I stood glaring at each other as if in a staring contest before she broke it off. "Whatever, I don't need the likes of _you_ to show me around. I can do well enough," she said as she continued to walk.

I crossed my arms. "Fine! Be that way! It's a bigger pleasure for me not to have to bring some brat around with me around the school!" I shouted after her, but she rounded the corner and disappeared.

_Just WHAT is HER problem? Jeez! I'm never going to try to make friends with her again!_ I thought furiously as I stormed to the courtyard. I sat down on the bench and looked up at the sky. "Well, at least I'm excused for class..." I muttered as I saw a bird fly overhead.

My anger eventually faded as I thought of my next class, which was cooking. And lucky for me, we were making cookie pizza! Yum my favorite! It was basically like a regular pizza, but instead of tomato sauce, pepperoni and whatnot, all the ingredients were candy. You have milk chocolate sauce as the replacement for the tomato sauce, broken candy cane bits and melted dark chocolate drizzled over teh ingredients! "It's mouth-watering," I said dreamily as I exited the courtyard and went to the library for the remainder of my free time.

Finally, it was time to make my treats! But my cloud of happiness became a storm cloud as soon as I saw _her_ come in. "Everyone, listen up: This is Meyrin Hawke and she will be joining our class from now on!" announced the Foods Teacher.

I groaned mentally inside. Did she really have to ruin this too? "I really love cooking; it's fun! So please take care of me, everyone!" Meyrin said angelically as she flashed a cute smile.

Everyone smiled back in returned and agreed, everyone except me, who gave her a reluctant crooked smile. We worked quickly in our class, since we only have a little more than an hour before lunch time. Before putting it in the oven, I did well, but as soon as the time was up for the oven, I saw that it had become burnt. "Agh! I really wanted to eat it perfectly," I moaned as I saw that it was quite browner than usual.

Meyrin walked past me but stopped in mid-step. "Aww, too bad Athha. Seems like you burnt yours. Oh well, better luck next time!" she said as she sneered at me while she took her perfect cookie pizza to get it graded.

I narrowed my eyes at her but sighed sadly as I wrapped up my pizza and stuck it in my bag for lunch. As I exited the room, I saw Athrun and another girl outside, next to the science rooms. "I really like you, Athrun, so why won't you go out with me?" I heard her say.

Athrun gave her an apologetic smile as he turned down her offer. "I'm sorry, but I don't think things will work out for us because I only think of you as my cute junior and nothing more," he said gently.

The girl sniffled and apologized while running away from him. I held my hands on my hips. "Wow, you must really be used to having people confess to you, because you didn't seem surprised to hear her confess to you," I said with a raised eyebrow.

Athrun laughed. "Yeah, I am. But then again, I do get confessed to everyday, so it's a regular thing. Anyway, want to eat outside? Even though it's been really cold lately, it's fairly warm today," he said.

I thought about it for a second before agreeing. "Sure, just wait here while I go buy my lunch," I said as I ran down to the cafeteria and bought a small box of takoyaki.

As I came upstairs, I saw Athrun was waiting like he promised, but to my dismay, I noticed an overly familar set of pigtails standing next to him. "Um, Athrun.. I made these for you today in Home Ec," said Meyrin shakily.

Athrun gave her a sad smile. "Thank you, Meyrin. You did a fabulous job, but unfortunately, I don't really like eating sweets," he rejected her offer.

I saw Meyrin's shoulders drop slightly. "O-oh I see.." she said quietly.

I felt kind of sorry for the girl, even after all the mean things she did to me. Then Athrun looked up as he noticed that I stood close to them. "Oh Cagalli! You're done?" he asked suddenly.

I nodded. "Y-yeah..." I said nervously, feeling awkward that I had chosen to interfere at such a bad moment.

Athrun grinned. "What are you standing there for? Let's go," he said as he gave a small nod to Meyrin before walking past her.

As the two of us walked outside, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder to see the sad form of Meyrin, as she walked down the hallway. "That was kind of cold of you," I muttered.

Athrun gave me a surprised look. "What? How was that cold? I was only telling the truth," he said as he opened the door.

I nodded. "That's true, but she looked like an abandonned puppy!" I argued, as my feelings of hate towards the girl now faded.

Athrun sighed as he sat down on the wooden bench. "Well, not everyone can always get what they want, you know? If I had accepted them but not eaten any, she would have felt even worse wouldn't she?" he said, pausing for a moment as he looked upwards towards the autumn sky.

"It's the same with that other girl earlier. I just thought it would be the best way to turn them down," Athrun said as he opened his bento.

I sighed and said nothing. What Athrun did say made sense to me, afterall, he must get tons of these everyday. We ate in silence as I thought about a lot of things._ Athrun's been nicer since the first time I've met him eh? Kinda strange, but not that surprising I guess. Under that cool and arrogant exterior is a pretty nice guy._ I thought to myself as I looked up at the almost clear sky. "Well, the bell is going to ring soon, I'll just be right back," I said as I got up.

I walked over to the dumpster with the emptied takoyaki box in my hand and threw it in. Then I took the box of ruined cookie pizza. Should I throw this away as well? Or should I eat them? I worked so hard to make it, but in the end, I failed.. I stood there debating with myself when I heard some footsteps behind me and immediately hid the box. "A-athrun? What's up?" I said in surprise.

He gave me a wierd look. "What are you hiding?" he questionned as he stepped forward.

"N-nothing!" I said quickly as I wish I had thrown it away.

Athrun gave me a look of disbelief as he used one of his long arms to reach behind me and grab the small box. "You are such a horrible liar," he remarked with a small smirk.

"Am no-HEY! Nonono! Don't open...it," I said as Athrun opened the box with a look of surprise.

I buried my face with one hand as my face burned with embarassment._Agh! He's going to make fun of me!_ I thought with horror as Athrun stuck one into his mouth.

Immediately I took the box away from him, but unfortunately for me, Athrun had already gotten a slice. And chewed it up thoughtfully. "Were you going to throw those away?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah.. I made it in Home Ec, but I burnt them," I said quietly.

Athrun gave me a grin. "I would have expected that. But I have to say, despite being burnt, they taste not half bad," he said.

I blinked. "Really? But I overheard you say to Meyrin that you hate sweets," I asked.

Athrun nodded. "Yeah I do, but this is burnt, so it's not that sweet any longer," he replied with a small smile.

I raised an eyebrow as I thought over what he said. Was he complimenting me on burning it? Isn't that a bad remark for me? "Hey!" I yelled as I hauled to punch a laughing boy.

Athrun laughed as he dodged my efforts easily. "Oh well, you can do better next time," he said when he regained his cool exterior and flicked my forehead.

The bell rang as I stood there and I placed my hand over the spot where he flicked me. It was warm. I thought as I ran after him. "Wait up!"

Unknown to the two of us, a small figure slumped down to the ground as she had witnessed all that had gone on.

Afterschool, Athrun and I went to the restaurant to work our shifts. The restaurant seemed quite busy today, but that was not unusual. But to our surprise, it had seemed that Meyrin had already beaten us there. "Hey guys, go get changed quickly, we need an extra pair of hands," said Chef Murdoch as he greeted us through the small window.

"Yes sir!" we chorused as we left our bags by the counters and then grabbed our uniforms.

I changed quickly as I also tied my hair up and stared at myself in the mirror for a moment. I sighed. This skirt was really a size too small. It was nearly a mini-skirt. "I should really ask Mr. Todaka for a bigger size," I said to myself as I left the changeroom to be greeted by Athrun.

"C'mon, let's go, the customers are waiting for us," he said as he flashed a grin while I nodded.

The restaurant was incredibly busy today, more today than the other days. Maybe because today was a pretty nice day despite being near winter? I don't know, but whatever the reason, it kept us occupied. "Table number 5 needs to be served!" called Athrun as he was busy serving other tables.

"Got it!" I called back as I rushed to the waiting table.

We worked quickly and successfully. On one occasion, as I was bringing dishes to a table, and Athrun was bring dishes to the kitchen we bumped into each other. "Sorry," I muttered.

Athrun gave me a shrug and a small smirk. "S'okay," he said as he went back to the kitchen.

And even later on, Lunamaria even came to help as she was also hired. "Hey, if you don't remember me, I'm Lunamaria, I'll be working with you guys today," she said as she stopped and greeted us.

"That's great, there's a lot of people today," Athrun and I chorused at the same time.

We looked at each other in surprise and then laughed. "You two get along well," Lunamaria remarked.

I looked at Athrun and then back at her. "Really?" I questionned with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. Athrun shrugged. "I guess so," he said, but then was interrupted by Mr. Todaka, "Table six needs more drinks! Get to it!" he ordered.

"Ah! Yeah!" I said as I hurried over to take their orders for drinks.

As I came back from my trip to the kitchen, my tray was full with 4 glasses of grape juice. I hurried over to the table, but as crowded the area was, I felt someone bump into me causing my drinks to spill onto me, staining my uniform with grape juice. "Ah! So sorry! Didn't see you there," said Meyrin as she pulled on an apologetic look.

I stared at her. _SHE DID THAT ON PURPOSE!_ My mind screamed as every horrible word I wanted to use on her flew through my mind. "What's the matter?!" Mr Todaka demanded as he heard the commotion.

"Oh Mr. Todaka! I didn't mean to! It was just so crowded here! I bumped into her and accidentally caused the drinks to spill onto Cagalli," Meyrin explained with eyes that were near tears.

I was speechless. How could she lie through her teeth like that? "It is okay, Miss Hawke. No one will blame you for the accident," Mr Todaka soothed as he then turned to me. "There is another set of clothing in the back room. Please change into them and then throw those into the wash," he directed.

I nodded and left, but not before I caught Athrun's eyes who gave me a questionning look. I turned my face away as I stormed over to the back room to grab a new uniform. I got changed quickly but grimmanced at the large purple stain on the the upper white part of my uniform. "That is going to be hard to get out," I mumbled. "Why did she do that? What reason does she have for hating me? And WHY me?" I demanded angrily as I tugged my mini apron into place.

I opened the door and was about to head back into the serving area when I heard suspicious voices going on in the supply room. Curious, I headed over but hid behind the wall, listening in on the voices which sounded that they belonged to Meyrin and her sister Lunamaria. "Mey! Why did you do that? I saw you do that on purpose. Why?" I heard Lunamaria question.

I saw Meyrin shuffle her feet uncomfortably. "It's because of Athha. I don't like her," she mumbled.

"I know you don't like her, but that's no reason for doing the things you just did!" Lunamaria scolded her.

"I was right to do that because she's getting too close to Athrun!" Meyrin cried as I nearly choked.

"Athrun has never paid much attention to girls, but when that girl came, everything changed! Athrun always smiles warmly to that girl and never to me, no matter how much I try to please him! It's not fair! All I ever wanted is for that guy to like me!" Meyrin sobbed as I decided to step in.

_The only reason Meyrin doesn't like me is because she is jealous of my closeness to Athrun?_ "So, you like Athrun," I stated.

Lunamaria and Meyrin looked up and stared at me as if I were some alien. "C-cagalli! You heard-?" Lunamaria choked.

I nodded. "Yes, but I just wanted to clear some things you misunderstood," I said as I noticed Meyrin turn her face away from mine.

"Listen Meyrin, I know you hate me, and I hate you as well, no mistake about that. But the relationship between Athrun and I are only _just_ friends. I don't feel anything for him and I'm sure that he doesn't feel that way for me either. So really, don't start jumping to conclusions until you know all the facts," I said as I turned to leave.

"W-wait!" I heard Meyrin's voice call after me.

I turned around to see Meyrin standing up, but looking down at the ground. "About earlier... I'm s-so-" she stammered but I cut her off. "What did you do earlier again? I've forgotten," I said as I gave her a small smile.

Meyrin gave me a hopeful look as she asked, "T-then is it really alright for me to confess to him?" she asked.

I said nothing but as I was about to leave the room, I gave a small nod. _It's only right? I mean afterall, Athrun only a friend to me.. _ I thought to myself as I headed back to the serving area. But somewhere inside me, a voice whispered, _You're wrong... _

* * *

A/N: Well there we have it! Cagalli doesn't really know whather true feelings are for Athrun. And does Athrun have any feelings for Cagalli as of now? Well you'll see later on. 


	10. Thoughts

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the extremely late update! I was supposed to be updating last week, but had a lot of things coming up before I could enjoy my winter break! But now that winter break is here, I'll have more time to work on my fanfics! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from GS/GSD nor Sunrise. **

* * *

**Chapter 10: Thoughts**

It was bright in the morning when I got up, which was earlier than usual. "Cagalli? What are you doing up so early? You still have two hours before you have to leave for school," said Kira as he hovered over me, looking down in concern.

"Couldn't sleep," I muttered as I replayed last night's events.

* * *

"_Athrun, do you have a moment?" Meyrin's timid voice asked as I noticed from the kitchen that her face was extremely flushed._

_Athrun wiped his hands on a towel and nodded. "Yeah, something on your mind?" he asked._

_Meyrin looked down at her feet as she shifted her weight onto one foot uncomfortably. "U-um..." Meyrin swallowed as she blinked furiously. "W-would you mind going out with me if you don't have a girlfriend?" she blurted out._

_Athrun looked at her with a tint of surprise but as he opened his mouth, Meyrin interrupted him. "P-please don't answer me right now... T-think it over and let me know your answer tomorrow..." she said as she fiddled with her hands nervously as she looked upwards at the guy._

_Athrun closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll think it over," he said and left things like that._

* * *

I sighed. He was going to answer her today. Would he accept her? I mean when she wasn't being totally barbaric, she was actually quite cute. If I were him, I probably would accept... However, I felt something heavy inside of me though I don't know why. Why does this concern me? It doesn't matter to me who Athrun decides to go out with right? I sighed again as I washed my face. 

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem to be sighing a lot this morning, which is unusual of you," said Kira as he waited outside the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered as I left the bathroom and packed my things.

"So, what is your day plan?" I asked as I threw my things into my bag.

Kira smiled as he floated over my head. "Well, I'm planning to go to school today with Lacus and hang out in your classroom," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Things seem to go well between the two of you, don't they?" I said truthfully as I paused for a moment.

Kira blushed and boy oh boy, when a ghost blushes, they turn completely red, right down to their fingers. "R-really? W-we do? I m-mean yeah... we get along well," he stammered in embarassment.

I smiled. "You know, if you ever need help with something, I'll help you," I said as Kira blinked.

"Are you serious?" he asked as all traces of embarassment are gone.

I nodded. "Yep," I answered as I gathered my things and headed down to make breakfast.

_Cagalli's acting a wierder than normal. She offered to help me if I ever needed it. Sure, she has her kind moments, but I'm begining to wonder what has been going on for the past few days..._ Kira pondered as he floated downstairs.

By the time I finished eating, it was time to go to school. School went by normally, only that today, we were so busy that I never got the chance to talk to Athrun about Meyrin's confession. As the bell rang, I was about to call out his name when someone called out my name first. "Cagalli!"

My head turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a boy who was in my class, Rusty Mackenzie. "You need something?" I asked as I saw that Athrun had already out the door.

"Well I noticed that your energetic aura around you has diminished. Are you feeling sick?" Rusty asked, with a concerned expression.

I gave him a small smile. He was very popular throughout the school due to his kindness and his bright smile that cheered anyone immediately. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm just quite tired since I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," I said with a small shrug. "Sorry for worrying you,"

Rusty smiled. "No worries, as long as you are okay. You should go to bed earlier, because it'll effect your health if you stay up too late every night, okay?" he said as he laid a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him in surprise. Why was he so worried for me? He seemed to be able to read my mind because his face was now tinted a faint pink. "Well... you see Cagalli... I was wondering, if maybe you would go out with me, since you don't seem to have a boyfriend," Rusty said as he gave me a shy smile.

My mouth hanged slightly open. This was the first time someone had ever confessed to me! "W-well, the last part is true, I guess. But can I think it over before replying?" I asked.

Rusty looked surprised for a moment before nodding. "Oh yes of course. I'll be waiting for your answer," he said with a smile. "See you tomorrow,"

I smiled akwardly. "Okay, see you then," I replied as I packed my bags.

As I left the room, I did not notice as a solemn figure stood around the corner who had heard everything that had happened and left the school with a gloomy expression on his face.

As Kira and I headed towards the restaurant, it seemed that Athrun and Lacus were already busy working. "Hello Cagalli, please go get changed quickly while I take care of things here," Lacus said as she caught a cup that was about to hit the ground and quickly placed it in the 'to be washed' bin without anyone noticing,

I nodded as Kira also went over to help out. Luckily, my uniform was now clean of yesterday's 'accident' and looked nearly as good as it did before. I tied up my hair quickly as went out to help. I exchanged a quick greeting with Mr. Todaka before bumping into Meyrin. "Whoops, sorry," I said as she gave me an understanding smile. "Nah, it was my fault," she replied.

It seemed that the misunderstanding between us was finally over, and a part of me felt a bit relieved. At least she wouldn't go hating me anymore. As time passed that day, I noticed that the relationship between Athrun and Meyrin was slightly closer as Athrun helped Meyrin a lot more often than he usually would. Before we were about to close for the night, we had one more customer, and strangely, someone that I knew. "Welcome to th-Rusty?" I said in surprise.

Rusty also looked at me in surprise. "C-cagalli? You work here?" he asked.

I nodded as I pointed to the uniform. "Yeah, I should bring you to a table," I said as I was about to grab a menu but Rusty stopped me.

He shook his head. "Oh, I'm just here for take-out. I called earlier and placed it under 'Mackenzie'," he explained with a small shrug.

My mouth formed a small 'o'. "Okay, I'll be right back," I said as I headed off towards the counter.

* * *

_While I was gone..._ "Hey Athrun! I'm surprised to see you here," said Rusty as he took notice of the blunette next to the counter. 

Athrun managed a small crooked smile. "Yeah," he said shortly.

Rusty grinned. "Cagalli sure looks cute in that uniform eh?" he commented with a carefree smile.

Athrun said nothing as he narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Hmm... truth is, I asked her out earlier today, but she said that she'd think it over. Do you think she'll reject me?" said Rusty with a small frown.

Athrun looked at him cooly. "I do not know what Cagalli thinks. Wait and find out the answer _yourself_. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," he said as he walked back towards the kitchen.

* * *

_Back with me.._ As I asked Chef Murdoch if any take-out requests were requested under the name Mackenzie, Chef Murdoch blinked before remembering. "Ah yeah! Some guy requested it not too long ago. I placed it over on the right table," he said as he tilted his head in the direction of the take-out box. 

"Thanks!" I said as I quickly took the white box and went out of the kitchen to walk past Athrun, who looked quite angry for some reason.

_What's biting him?_ I wondered, but didn't pay too much to him. "Here it is," I said as I handed Rusty the white box that was now placed in a plastic bag.

"Thanks a lot Cagalli. Here's the money for it," said Rusty with a grin as he paid me for it. "Ah! It's getting late.. I should head home by now. I'll see you early tomorrow then,"

I waved as I saw Rusty hurriedly went out of the store. I gave a small laugh. "He's an interesting fellow," I remarked as I noticed that he disappeared around the corner.

As closing time came, we were thanked by Mr. Todaka and took our leave. Athrun and Meyrin left a slight earlier than I did, but as I came outside and rounded the corner, I saw Athrun and Meyrin alone in the park. "As for your question yesteday," Athrun started as I hid immediately. "I think my answer will be yes, I will go out with you,"

Meyrin gasped as her eyes brightened. "Oh really?! Do you really mean that, Athrun?" she asked happily as if she was the happiest girl in the world.

Athrun gave a nod and a small smile to answer her question. "Wow! I'm so happy!" she cried out but then frowned slightly. "But I guess we can't go on a date soon, since tomorrow you and your drama class will be going on a ski trip... but that's okay,"

Athrun gave a small chuckle. "Would you like me to walk you home?" he offered kindly.

"Really? I-i mean... is it too troublesome for you?" Meyrin asked the blunette.

"Nah, it's okay, afterall, it isn't safe for a girl to go out on her own at night," he said as the two began to walk from the park.

I slid down to the ground as the duo left. _A-athrun accepted her... He's really going to date Meyrin!_ I was still on the ground as a silvery figure approached me. "Cagalli! What's wrong?" demanded a worried Kira as he immediately released Lacus's hand and floated towards me.

I felt that my heart was ripped up into a million pieces, though I did not know why this hurt so much. "K-kira... I want to go home," I managed to make out, though my voice sounded tiny and hurt.

"Lacus, I'll see you later. I have to take her home," Kira said as Lacus gave him an understanding smile.

"Very well. Take good care of her, Kira," she said as Kira gave her a curt nod.

My mind was a blur on the way home, up 'til I was in my room. "Cagalli, what is wrong? Did Athrun say anything to you?" Kira demanded. "If he did... oh I am going to let him have it!"

Tears betrayed me as I heard his name. _Why was I hurt this much? What does Athrun really mean to me?_ Those thoughts filled my head as I shook my head. "N-no... he didn't say anything to me," I said as I fell face first onto my bed. "I'm s-sorry Kira, but I don't w-want to talk about it," I mumbled into the pillow.

Kira was going to say something but sighed instead as he patted my head gently. "I'll always be here by your side no matter what happens. Good times and bad times. Don't forget that. When you feel like talking about it, you can talk to me," he reasured me with a gentle voice.

_Thank you, Kira... you have no idea what your words mean to me... _

* * *

_The next morning.._ "Cagalli, are you ready to go?" Kira called as I washed my face for the fifth time. 

I looked at my face in the mirror as the areas around my eyes were red and nearly swollen. "Yeah," I said as I exited the bathroom and grabbed my packed bags.

I was half glad that Kira did not say anything about my appearance as we left for school. It would've been troublesome. But as I reached the school grounds, I saw that everyone was already there and that I was the last one coming. Rusty immediately approached me. "What is wrong, Cagalli?"

I shook my head and gave him a smile. "It's nothing. I didn't get a good sleep yesterday night either," I said, which wasn't entirely false.

Rusty laid a hand on my shoulder as he looked at me worriedly. "What's going on?" he asked softly, so that I was the only one to have heard.

I only gave him a smile as I said nothing. The bus was already here and Miss Simmons was checking those off that had already boarded. "Ah, Miss Cagalli, you are here. You will be seating next to Athrun Zala on the bus in row 14," she said.

I froze. He was the last person on earth that I wanted to sit next to at the moment, but I gave her a smile. "Got it," I said as I climbed onto the travel bus.

I chose the window seat as I placed my things (and Kira too!) on the rack that held our baggages. "You okay?" Kira whispered as out of the corner of my eye I noticed Athrun coming over.

I nodded. "Totally fine," I whispered back as Athrun also planted his things over our heads.

I looked out the window as the bus began to move slowly. I saw Athrun's reflection as he sat down next to me in silence. The drive was smooth, yet it was uncomfortable for me to be sitting next to the guy I really didn't want to talk to at the moment. But from the corner of my eyes, I could see that he face held indifference as if yesterday never happened. "Hmm.. the weather looks kind of dark. I hope it won't be too much of a problem for us," Lacus noted observantly.

"Mmm.." said Athrun unconversationally.

Lacus looked at Athrun with a worried expression. "You feeling okay?" she asked.

Athrun gave her an uneasy smile. "Yeah.. fine," he said, but I could tell that he was lying.

Eventually, after a long drive up the mountain, we reached the ski lodge. "You will now go to your assigned rooms and unpack for the moment. In half an hour, I expect you all here in the Foyer so that we can discuss our day plans," said Miss Simmons as she handed out our room numbers.

Mirillia and I shared a room (and Lacus too, without Mir's knowning of course!) and immediately, we began to unpack. "Hey Cagalli! Do you want to explore the place a little before we meet up with the others? I heard there's a really cool hot spring resort somewhere in the lodge," said Mirillia as she threw her pillow at me.

I smirked as I threw it back to her, but she dodged it. "Yeah okay, sounds like fun," I said as I left my stuff on the lower bunk bed. "I'll unpack later, so let's go," I said as I motionned for Lacus to come as well.

The three of us went around the lodge to find that it did have a hot spring. "Y'know, this is a pretty good lodge. We can take a dip later on after going skiing and then have something warm to drink in the cafeteria," said Mirillia as she began to plan her day plan.

I just nodded numbly as we then went to the Foyer to meet up with the rest of the class. "Alright! Now that it seems that everyone is now here, you will be splitting into two groups; Group A and B," said Miss Simmons. "Group A will be the first to either snowboard or ski while Group B will go snowshoing,"

Most of my friends were with me in Group B, though the only person that isn't in Group B was Athrun. But I guess I didn't mind too much this time. And speaking of Athrun, as my eyes drifted over to the blunette, I saw that he was still very pale and that his breathing seemed to be heavier. _What's wrong with him? If he doesn't feel well, he should not go, _my mind screamed at me, but I made no movements towards him. _I shouldn't care for him, afterall, it's not like he's my boyfriend or anything, he belongs to Meyrin._

As our groups departed I couldn't help but see Athrun's face was covered with sweat as his retreating figure became smaller and smaller. "Hey Cagalli! Want to be partners?" I heard someone ask beside me as I started to gear on.

Rusty gave me his regular smile. "U-uh yeah sure," I said as I strapped my boots to the snowshoe.

Kira stood next to me as we started to leave for the hills. "What's wrong Cagalli? Your mind seems a little distant," he said.

I gave him a small smile to reasure him that I was fine. "I'm okay. But wouldn't you prefer to stay in the Lodge? Since we were kids, you never really liked snow that much," I whispered.

Kira gave me a wierd face. "Now you're concerned for me... mighty suspicious of the Cagalli I know. But nevertheless, you are right. I don't really like the snow all that much. So if you're sure you are okay?" he questioned.

I nodded. "Okay. I'll be heading back then," said Kira as he floated back to the direction of the lodge.

"Are you okay?" I heard Rusty ask as he paused ahead of me.

By now, my patience is pretty much gone. Why does everyone gang up on me with that question?! "I am fine," I said through gritted teeth, but I also remembered that it wasn't entirely Rusty's fault that my patience was used up.

"Well that's good, because I swear I heard you mumbling to yourself a few moments ago. Anyway, let's hurry up, since we're pretty much dead last!" said Rusty as I nodded in agreement and picked up the pace.

As we got to the top of our climb, we were given a long break and hot chocolate was passed around. As I sighed heavily, while sipping my hot chocolate, my thoughts wandered back to Athrun. How was he doing now? Why was he looking so pale earlier? Was he sick or anything? I couldn't help but feel a little anxious for his safety. _W-well, it is natural afterall, I mean we're just friends... and friends worry about each other... right?_ As I finished sipping my hot chocolate, all of a sudden, something cold and wet came in contact with my left ear. "Hey!" I cried out in protest as I looked for my attacker.

A melodic sound of laughter rang in my ears as I turned to face Rusty, who was indeed guilty. "Sorry Cagalli, but you seemed so out of it. Everyone is picking their targets! For whatever reason you are gloomy about, forget them for a moment and join in the fun!" Rusty said while preparing another snowball.

I scooped up some snow of my own and chased after him, yelling, "Well you asked for it, Rusty Mackenzie!"

He danced away laughing as we exchanged snowballs. The sky became darker and colder as if a storm was approaching, so we then went back to the lodge, all soaking wet. "Wow Cagalli! You sure are good, I'm soaked to the core!" Rusty said with a small laugh as he laid his hat on the heater to dry.

I stood there as I was once again lost in my thoughts. This time, instead of thinking about Athrun, my thoughts flew over to Rusty, who seemed to be the only one who was really able to cheer me up no matter the situation and to the question he asked the day before. "Cagalli? Something bothering you?" Rusty asked as he noticed how silent I was being.

I looked at him directly with my eyes. "Rusty... about the question you asked earlier, I decided to answer," I said as I swallowed hard. "And my answer is yes,"

* * *

**A/N: Oooh... a bumpy obstacle: Both Rusty and Meyrin. I know you're probably all a little peeved that nothing big is happening between our favorite couple, but I promise you that this is an ASUCAGA fic! Nothing will change that fact. I added Rusty in here because I felt that it was unfair of him to be cut down so fast in the first episode of GS, so his character never really got the chance to develop, but I think he's a sweet person and is a mix between Athrun himself and Nicol. Also! I wanted to thank my wonderful reviewers who supported me from thfe start! (There is no order btw)**

**Minatsuki, Hades.Throne.Heiress, revenantangel94, yutakalamia, athrunXcagalli4evr, Kween Of Roses, cagalliyulathha, Jade Valentine, Canadain-Girl, CagalliRules, ChildishVampire, imuzuok,  
**

**And those who have reviewed under anonymous: Littlelink048, katkat, jess**

** Thank you all very much! I appreciate it! Also.. I'm thinking of adding a new fic soon (which isn't on my profile, but I think it might turn out pretty good). Athrun, who's career's at stake must remain undercover, but the thing is, he attends an all girl-school _as _a girl and there he meets Cagalli, who accidentally walks in on him and discovers that 'she' is a guy. Will she keep his secret?**


	11. Determination

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing good! Thanks so much for the quick reviews! It made me really happy and so, as a present, I updated quicker than usual! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Determination**

As my conversation ended with Rusty, I headed to the cafeteria to get something warm. I looked out the window to see that the cloudy day before now turned into a snow blizzard. It was pitch black out there and you could hardly see anything due to the howling wind and the heavy snow coming down. "Whew! I'd hate to be stuck out there," I mumbled.

Lacus nodded as she floated down towards me. "Yes, so do I. But Cagalli, have you seen Athrun anywhere?" she asked worriedly. "I can't find him!"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think his group has come back yet," I said as Kira's face hardened.

"You're wrong... his group just came back, but Athrun is not with them," he said quietly, hardly louder than a whisper.

My eyes widened in horror and shock. "W-what? T-that can't be true! Let's go find Mr. La Flaga; he was in charge of Athrun's group," I said as I felt my heart race faster.

We ran towards the foyer, hoping that what we heard wasn't true. I spotted Mr. La Flaga with Miss Simmons talking quietly in low voices. "Mr. La Flaga! I heard that you just got back! Where is Athrun?" I demanded as I saw his face pale.

He said nothing as I saw his lips were pressed tightly into a thin line. "Why won't you answer me? I looked everywhere for him," I said as I started to panic.

"We didn't realise that we were lacking someone as we came down the mountain. His partner never noticed anything and by the time we reached the lodge, several moments ago, I came to realise that the person we were missing was Mr. Zala," said Mr. La Flaga solemly.

My eyes widened as I heard the truth. "Who was his partner?" I demanded as my hands were now balled into fists. "How could be make such a stupid mistake?" my voice came out quite high.

"Yuuna Roma Seiran, but it wasn't his fault; it was mine. I guess Mr. Zala was lacking behind while the rest of us pushed on, trying to get out of the storm. Anyway, it's too dangerous to be going back out there to look for him. As hard as it is, we'll have to wait until morning," said Mr. La Flaga as Miss Simmons placed a hand on my shoulder.

I felt something inside of me snap. "How could you talk this way?! You were responsible for him! Athrun's out there; sick and all! What happens if something serious happens to him? He's vulnerable out in the cold!" I yelled as tears were slowly blurring my vision.

"Miss Cagalli Yula Athha! You will not talk to a teacher this way! There's no way to return to the past and he's done all he can do. So please, just return to your room. Tomorrow we will send out a search party," said Miss Simmons as her eyes showed sympathy.

I gritted my teeth as I hated this. I ran away from the teachers and slammed the door to my room, shocking Mir, who happened to be asleep. "W-wha? What happened, Cags?" she asked in surprise.

I shook my head angrily as I sat down on my bed. "Nothing, go back to sleep," I said as Mirillia dozed off eventually.

"I knew I should have spoken to him. If I did then, maybe I could have stopped him from going. His face was so pale earlier and his breathing was rapid. It's all my fault," I said as I hugged my knees close.

Kira soothed me as he patted my hair. "Shh.. Cagalli.. He'll be okay. Athrun's a strong person, you know?" he whispered.

Lacus said nothing as she looked out the window worriedly. "You should get some rest, they'll find him soon," said Kira

I ignored him as my mind was already set on what I was going to do. I got off the bed immediately as I grabbed a few things from the desk drawer which included a hot pack and a flashlight. "W-wait Cagalli! You cannot be serious! What will you accomplish by going out in a storm like that?! I will not allow it!" Kira protested as he knew what I was planning.

I stopped in mid-track as I turned back to face him. "Kira, as my best friend, you should know by now that when I am determined to do something, no one will be able to stop me," I said as I gave him a small smile to reasure him that it is okay. "I'll be alright, don't worry about me and look after Lacus. I will be back soon,"

And with that, I closed the door to Kira's protests and headed downstairs to get my stuff on. I avoided the Teachers' room because I knew that they, like Kira, would protest my going so I moved as swift as I could to go unnoticed. I went over to the heating room to grab my jacket, the one that I had on earlier. It was still a little wet, but it'll have to do. I put it on quickly and then grabbed my snow boots. As I went to grab my board, a voice interrupted me, "Where are you going, Cagalli,"

I turned around immediately in surprise but my heart slowed its rapid beating when I saw it wasn't a teacher. "Athrun is missing, Rusty," I said.

Rusty had an indifferent expression as he crossed the room to stand by my side. "I have to go look for him; he is sick and I don't think he will be okay if we leave this matter until morning," I said quietly as I looked into his eyes.

Rusty looked downwards as he said nothing. "Please understand, he is a close friend of mine," I whispered as I heard footsteps down the hall.

He raised his eyes so now his baby blue orbs were inline with amber ones. **(A/N: I think they're blue... or are they green. It was kind hard to tell... sorry if I got it wrong :( )** "I understand. If I were in the same situation as you were, I would go without fail either. I'll cover you, but if you are not back by midnight, I will let the teachers know," said Rusty as he placed a ski toque on my head.

I gave him a nod and a smile in return. "That's plenty of time. See you soon," I said as I opened the door and buckled my straps so that they were now secure.

"Be careful," said Rusty as I raised a gloved hand to let him know that I had heard and took off into the blizzard.

I winced behind my goggles as they were begining to fog with the change in temperature. I quickly took a gloved hand to wipe it. "Che! What a big storm," I mumbled behind my scarf as the wind nearly blew me over.

It was near impossible to see anything even with the flashlight in my hand. But even worse when you were trying to find someone. "A-Athrun! Where are you, you bastard?!!" I yelled, but my voice was nearly drowned out by the storm.

"When I find you, I am going to KILL you!" I swore under my breath as I looked around frantically.

The blackness of the night around me, with trees looking the same wherever I look, I began to realise how next to impossible this was. _Kira was right; what would I accomplish by going out? I'm only one person. _I thought miserably as I travelled around my dark surroundings. Twice I nearly rammed into a tree. _How foolish I am... I should really think before taking action..._ I thought but as Athrun's image of being lost somewhere went past me, I couldn't help but feel my resolve to find him grow stronger because at the moment, I was the only one that could help him. "Hold on, stupid Athrun," I muttered as I continued to travel downwards.

My teeth clattered like no tomorrow due to the freezing weather. I was grateful for the toque that Rusty had put onto me, since it gave me a bit of warmth to my ears, which felt frostbitten. I wiped my ski goggles again as frost was begining to grow on them. I could imagine the hot springs that the lodge had and enjoying the warmth that would be there, but I couldn't go there until I found Athrun. But as I was searching for him, my mind was filled of thoughts.

Why was I so intent on searching for him? _Well, he is sick, so it would be bad if it got any worse, right? _Was that my true reason? Sure I told everyone that, but is that was I was really feeling? For some reason, my heart said it was not; it was something more. As my board tripped over something, I fell front first into the ice cold snow. As my goggles fell off to the side, a tear slide down the side of my face to my surprise. _Why am I crying? _I thought to myself. Was it because I was trying to do the impossible? Was it because I knew that I was lost? Or was it because I was trying so hard to reach Athrun but could not?

I akwardly pushed myself so that I was no longer laying onto of the cold snow. I wiped my tears away with my frozen gloved hand because it would be bad if my tears were frozen to my face, eh? As I reached out to grab my ski goggles, I touched something unexpected that made me cry out in surprise. With my heart racing, I grabbed my flashlight that had fallen into the snow and shone it next to my fallen goggles. As my eyes moved on upwards, I gasped as I realised that I had touched a glove, a near-frozen glove that was attached to a hand! My light moved on upwards to discover a nearly snow-buried body that belong to.. "ATHRUN!" I yelled out as I quickly scampered over to him.

I bent down next to him and shook him, but no response. "Athrun! Wake up!" I yelled as I shook the snow off of him.

Still no reply. Panicking, I checked for his pulse, which was dim, but at least it was still there. I shook off one of my gloves to touch his nearly frozen face, but flinched as I realised that he had a really bad fever. "Not good...there's no way to get back to the lodge," I said to myself, looking around in stress.

But one thing I knew for certain was that I had to get him to some sort of shelter, so that he would be out of the storm. As I shielded his body from the storm with mine, I shone my light around, hoping to find some sort of abandonned place for us to stay. As my light travelled around, it went past something. As I refocused my light, I squinted to see a cave. "C'mon, let's go there," I said, but of course, there was no reply except for the howling of the wind.

As I tried to stand up while holding Athrun, I thought that this was easier than I thought, but then, the next second, my sight was filled with blue. Even when he wasn't covered in snow and soaked through from head to toe, Athrun was still a man whose weight was almost twice of mine, and getting his entire weight on top of me without warning was terrifying. I let out of a yelp of surprise and my legs gave in with the load and I fell flat on my back with him ontop of me. "Agh! Athrun! Get up!" I tried calling out, but once again, the storm drowned out my voice as if it was nothing.

I felt my body slowly sinking into the deep snow and I knew I had to get up before anything more disasterous happened. I tried pushing myself up, with Athrun on me, but the result was as if I hadn't tried at all. I then pushed the heavy load off of me with a tint of blush evident on my face but shook my head as I reminded myself that this was not the moment to get embarassed over small things. Getting up took a lot of relentless effort due to my snowboard, but eventually, I got up, though now I had a bigger problem to face: I had to get Athrun somehow into that cave.

Grabbing my stuff and jamming them into my pockets, I used both hands to grab one of Athrun's and tried to drag him. It probably hurt me more than it was successful. It felt as if my arm was going to come out of my socket. "Damn it Athrun! This is all _your_ fault!!" I cursed angrily as I yanked harder.

But unfortuantely for me, my gloves were slippery and so were his, so my hands slipped and I fell backwards back into the snow. "AGH! That's it!" I yelled angrily as I unstrapped my boots that were attached to the snowboard and then got back up, with more ease this time.

I also tried to unbuckle his boots, but it seemed that they were frozen on so if I was to drag him, I'd have to drag the whole body with the snowboard. I was still standing in knee deep snow and each step I made was difficult, but through relentless and completely sheer effort, eventually, I made it to the cave, though I was so tired that I could just drop at the mouth of the cave. I dragged Athrun's body deeper into the cave before going back out to get my snowboard.

As I came back to the cave, I dropped onto the rocky ground, exhausted and ready to sleep, but I slapped myself hard to keep myself awake or else we could very well end up dead the next morning. I left my flashlight on, since it was the only lightsource that there was and reached for Athrun's frozen body. I took off his head gear and had a hard time taking off the snowboard, but I got it undone. "Whew! That should be a little more comfortable. Now I have to get him warmed up," I said to myself as I held him closer.

As I took off my gloves, I winced as I could no longer feel my fingers and placed them on Athrun's forehead. The warmth was very welcoming for me as I almost sighed in relief. This fever was probably the only thing from keeping Athrun's body from being completely frozen. But his forehead was getting way to hot so I went back into the cold as I took off my scarf. I flinched as my warm scarf left my neck for the snow to bite down. I soaked it in the snow as best as I could before going back to the middle of the cave where I had left Athrun. The cave wasn't warm, but at least it was warmer in here than it was outside. I lifted Athrun's head onto my lap so that now he would be able to rest more comfortably. "That's better isn't it? Now all we have to do is wait for our searchers. Speaking of searchers, I'm pretty sure it's past midnight, so Rusty would've told the teachers by now. But most likely, unlike me, they would be smarter and wait until morning, but I couldn't do that to you, y'know?" I said as I took off my jacket and placed it over Athrun's body as a blanket.

"It's not the best thing to use, but at least you'll still be warm. And I think I will too if I hold onto you," I said as I then placed the wet scarf, now folded up, onto his forehead.

"I'm sorry for being like this, holding you so close, I mean, since Meyrin is your girlfriend now. But for now, while you are in this condition, just think of me as Meyrin until you get better, okay?" I added as I had my hand over the scarf so that it would stay in place and would not slide off.

"M-mother..."

I glanced downwards to see Athrun panting. "Athrun? Are you awake?" I asked.

"S-stay.. by my side," he barely made out as he groggily raised my hand with one of his own and placed it on the side of his face.

His face was very warm. So warm that it was comforting. Athrun gave a small content sigh. "M-much better... thanks m-mother.."

I smiled as with my other hand, I touched his hair. And just as expected, his hair was as smooth as silk. _He thought that I was his mother... he must have really loved her to have miss her this much..._ I thought as I began to think of my own parents and wondered how they were doing. As I thought of my parents, my friends and my home, my mind drifted off to sleep and made me forget the coldness, even if it was just temporarily.

* * *

_The next morning, Athrun's POV:_ Moaning and feeling my back was on a cold hard surface, I opened my eyes, first unfocused, but as I blinked several times, I realised that I didn't know where I was. 

As I sat up, I felt a pair of hands slide off me and looked up to see Cagalli, fast asleep. Then I saw her jacket which was given to me as a blanket. It was then that I remembered everything that had happened before I fell unconscious. Did she go out of her way just to find me?" I spoke outloud as I looked at my surroundings which turned out to be a cave.

I then realised that my head was no longer hurting. "You really did do all of that for me, huh? You're one strange girl, you know that? Yesterday, I could recall you ignoring me and giving me the cold shoulder, but you really did come through for me. Thank you," I said as I touched her cheek, which was quite cool.

I then laid her jacket ontop of her with a smile. "H-hey! Is anyone there? Cagalli! A-Athrun!" I heard someone call.

"In here!" I yelled as I picked Cagalli up, bridal style and ran towards the sound, which was near the cave of the mouth.

As I took a step outside, I was amazed at how deep the snow was, but it was only for a moment, because soon, I saw my whole class nearby who was calling out our names and Mr. La Flaga, who approached us with a relieved smile. "Let's get you two home,"

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**A/N: So... how was it? Not a whole lot happened between them, but I promise very soon either in the next chapter or the one after that, they'll start to realise their feelings! Anyway, happy holidays and I hoped you all had a good Christmas!**


	12. Realization

**A/N: Happy New Years everyone! Wow! I got such quick reviews on my last chapter! Thank you all very much for encouraging me to go on! As much as a lot of you wanted some Yuuna bashing in this chapter, I decided not to include it, as much as I also hate him. It just didn't fit with my plot since Yuuna is just a minor character. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD or Sunrise for that matter **

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**Chapter 12: Realization**

"Yay! Winter Break is here! I'm so happy that we don't have to go to school for a little while," I commented as I walked with Athrun to the restaurant.

Athrun nodded as he gave a small smile. "Yeah, and I'm sure it's going to snow down here as well, I mean, it's pretty cold here as well," he said.

Our ski trip ended short yesterday due to some castrophes that happened, but luckily for us, our friends weren't too angry at us because they were more relieved to see that we were okay after spending the night outside while a blizzard took place.

"Snow is great, well it is great if it isn't snowing too hard," I said with a small grin.

"I never said it wasn't great,"

"Well that tone of yours sound like you don't like snow,"

"Truthfully, I never really liked it all _that_ much in the first place,"

"Aha! So you do admit that you don't like snow!"

"Give it up already will ya? We're here,"

As soon as we opened the door to the restaurant, my triumphant smile faded as soon as I heard someone call out to us, "Athrun!"

Without looking up, I already knew whose voice it belonged to; Meyrin. "Athrun! I heard what had happened from the school! Are you alright?!" she called out worriedly as she looked up at his face.

Athrun gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, thanks to Cagalli here," he said as he turned his head to me.

I gave him an awkward smile in return as I saw Meyrin hug him tightly. "Even if you are okay, please don't make me worry like that ever again okay?" she whimpered.

Athrun patted her head gently as he nodded. "I'm sorry and I promise you that I won't be so reckless next time," he said with a warm look in his eyes.

I felt so out of place in that moment, like a third wheel that did not belong here. "U-uh.. I-i'll just go get changed before we get some customers," I said quickly as I left the spot to go to the change room.

As I changed into my black and white outfit I couldn't help but sigh. "I guess Meyrin really does see Athrun more than just a friend. I wonder if he feels the same for her?" I mumbled as I tied my hair into a ponytail.

Work was as busy as ever. Serving non-stop and waiting people. "A pot of soup for table 16," Lunamaria called out form the kitchen.

"I'll take it!" I answered as I went over to grab the tray.

I winced at the weight in my hands as I went down the restaurant, trying to find table 16 when I suddenly stumbled. I shut my eyes tightly as I waited for the impact to arrive, but strangely it never did. Cautiously, I opened one eye to see someone holding my tray in one hand and another on my waist. I looked up to meet concerned emerald eyes looking down into my ember ones. As I looked into his beautiful eyes, I felt that I was melting inside."Are you okay Cagalli?" he asked as he moved his hand to allow me to stand up straight.

"Y-yeah... thanks," I said as a pinkish tint filled my face like a balloon.

"You should let me carry heavy things like this, agreed?" Athrun said seriously.

I nodded. "Okay," I said as I quickly went back to the kitchen.

I exhaled as soon as he was out of my sight. What was happening to me? Why was my heart beating so fast? And that strange feeling I had when I looked at him! I took a deep breath. "Relax Cagalli! Don't be such a schoolgirl! You needed help and he gave it to you. Nothing more than that," I reminded myself as I re-entered the restaurant.

Later, when things quieted down, we all spent our time in the kitchen to help prepare for the next day. "Cut up some of the vegetables, if you will," said Chef Murdoch as he was busy preparing take out orders.

"Yes sir," we all chorused as each of us took out some kitchen knives and began to cut the vegetables into smaller pieces.

"So... what are you planning to do tomorrow, since there's no school?" Athrun asked as he moved his cutting board closer to my work area.

I shrugged. "No idea. Probably spend the day with Kira at home I guess," I answered as I chopped the carrots. "But then knowing him, he probably would want to spend the day with Lacus,"

Athrun grinned. "Most likely," he replied. "I guess same here. Would you like to co-"

"Ouch! It hurts!" Meyrin's voice interrupted as she dropped her knife with a small clang. "Athrun, I accidentally cut my finger,"

Athrun turned to her as she showed him her index finger which indeed has a cut. "Let's go get it treated before it gets infected, okay?" he said gently as he held her by her shoulders.

"Will you be okay working by yourself for a moment? I'm going to take Meyrin to the boss to see if he has any bandages," Athrun said as he looked back at me.

I nodded. "Y-yeah... I'll be fine," I said with a small smile.

As soon as they left, I gave a small inaudible sigh. _Those two really do look like a couple.. ne? I'm rather envious of Meyrin. I mean compared to her, I'm pretty much nothing. She's smart, and she's cute... I can't beat that._ I continued to chop the carrots, but as I paused for a moment, I realized that now, the chopped carrots really looked like a mess, since they were in all different sizes. My gaze directed to Meyrin's pile of cut tomatoes and saw that they were all perfectly cut. I gave a sad smile. "She really has it all, doesn't she?" I murmured.

At that moment, I felt my cellphone vibrate near my waist and reached into my apron to get it. I looked at the front to see that it read, 'Mackenzie' and answered it. "Hey Rusty, what's up?" I asked.

"Hey Cagalli, I was just wondering if you were free tomorrow," said Rusty's hesitant voice.

"Yeah, since school's been out, there's not much to do except for my shifts at the restaurant," I answered.

"Well.. um... then, would you like to go out with me tomorrow? I heard there's a new cafe down near Central Point that's called Borderline,"**(A/N: Central Point is an actual mall)**

I thought it over. It was true that I really had nothing better to do at home... so why not? "Sure, I'd love to go," I replied.

"Great!" Rusty's voice sounded delighted. "I'll meet you there at around 11, okay?"

I smiled, he sounded like a child at Christmas. "Alright, see you then," I said and hung up as I noticed Athrun and Meyrin re-entered the kitchen.

"Who was that?" asked Athrun as he returned to his work station.

"It was only Rusty," I answered as I also continued cutting down the carrots.

"I see... so are you two going out or something?" he asked out of the blue.

I paused to stare at him in surprise. "H-how do you know that?" I questioned as I saw a small smile cross his face.

"I overheard his confession to you the other day and now I assume that you said 'yes'?"

My gaze dropped to the ground. That wasn't exactly the response that I was hoping for. "Y-yeah... that's right... he just asked me out to a date tomorrow," I said as I resumed cutting carrots, but out of the corner of my eye, I looked at his expression, which showed indifference and was covered by his bangs.

"I see.. anyway, I'm done, Chef," said Athrun as he scraped the chopped bits of potatoes into a bowl and handed it to Murdoch.

"Thanks a bunch kid, you can go now," he said with a grin. "See you later,"

Athrun paused as he saw Meyrin finishing up. "You done? I'll walk you to the station if you want since I also take the train home, though in a different direction," he offered as Meyrin flashed him a grateful smile.

"That'll be great, just let me get changed,"

I, then also finished cutting and handed my bowl to Murdoch. "The pieces are a little lop-sided, but that's okay. Thanks," he said as he took my bowl.

I sighed as I took off my mini-apron and headed off to get changed but felt someone stop me as a hand grasped my own. "You'll be okay walking home alone, right?" Athrun asked as he looked into my eyes with a hint of concern.

I nodded as I noticed the redhead coming back. "I-i'll be fine. Look, Meyrin's done. I'll see you later," I said as I brushed past him and went straight to the change room.

"C'mon, let's go," I heard her say as I looked back on the two.

Athrun flashed her a smile as he nodded. "Yeah," he replied and the two left.

I closed the door and sighed as I slid down to the floor. "Can't expect anything other than that, can I? I mean, they are boyfriend and girlfriend. I guess I'm just surprised to see Athrun being so intimate with someone for the first time," I murmured as I stood back up and changed quickly to go home.

* * *

_Next day..._ "Oh crap! Look at the time! It's five to eleven! Double crap!" I cursed as I rushed to get dressed, putting on a pair of beige cargo pants along with my ash gray winter coat. 

I added on a scarf since it was quite cold outside and tied my hair into a ponytail before heading out. "Ugh! I can't believe I woke up so late! Damn you Kira... I asked you to wake me up before you left yesterday!" I muttered as I caught a bus that took me to central point.

I got off at my designated stop and looked around. "Borderline.. borderline... where is it?" I mumbled to myself as I looked around me. "Ah! There it is!"

As I entered the café, I looked around for Rusty. "May I help you?" a gentle voice asked.

I shook my head as I gave her an awkward smile. "Nah, I'm just looking for my friend who told me to meet him he-Oh! Never mind, I see him," I said as I excused myself and went over to Rusty who waved at me.

"Hey,"

"Hi.. sorry for being late," I said with an apologetic smile.

Rusty forgave me with a shrug as he returned my smile with one of his warm ones. "No problem. It's rather cold outside isn't it?" he said.

I nodded as I sat down. "Yeah no kidding. It's bound to snow soon," I noted.

"So, what would you like to eat? I'm thinking of ordering some kitsune ramen for myself," said Rusty as he lowered his menu.

I took a quick glance at mine. The prices, luckily, weren't all that pricey, but everything seemed really delicious, so it was quite difficult to make a choice. "Some tsukune yakitori, maybe," I said. **(A/N: I never really had it myself, but I think it means Chicken grilled meatballs? Anyway, sounds rather yummy!)**

"Hey! Is that Athrun and Meyrin? Oi!" Rusty said as he looked up to the front entrance.

At the mention of their names, my head snapped up, but indeed, Rusty was correct. I noticed Meyrin turned her head in our direction and nudged Athrun, making him look over here as well. I lowered my head unconsciously back down to my menu as I saw them walk over. "Wow, what a coincidence, meeting you two here," said Meyrin as Rusty gave her a smile.

"Yes it is. Please join us," he said cheerfully as he made room for the two extra people.

"It's quite crowded here, isn't it?" said Meyrin as she looked around.

Rusty nodded. "Sure is... probably because they just opened last week and they've been getting some pretty good remarks about them. Anyway, Cagalli and I have already decided on what to eat. What about you guys?" he questioned.

"I'll have some Takoyaki and some coffee," said Athrun as Meyrin chose some beef udon.

We placed our orders and waited for our food to arrive. "So, where are you two planning on going after this?" Meyrin asked, making a conversation.

I looked over to Rusty who said, "Well I didn't really plan the whole day... is there any place where you'd like to go Cagalli?"

I shrugged. "Anywhere is fine with me. Maybe the amusement park?" I suggested as it was the first thing that came to mind.

Rusty grinned. "Alright. What about you two? If you don't mind, we could make this a group date," he suggested.

Meyrin and Athrun exchanged glances before nodding. "Sure, that can work," said Athrun as the waitress dropped off his coffee and our drinks.

"Mm.. I'll just be going to the washroom, I'll be right back," said Meyrin as she took off her jacket and rose from her seat.

As she was about to leave the table, a warning cry was heard, "Look out!"

All of our heads turned as we saw a waitress carrying a large bowl of hot soup walking unsteadily towards Meyrin, with the bowl looking like it was about to fall any minute. "Meyrin!" Rusty called out in horror as Meyrin shut her eyes tightly.

It all happened in a moment as a loud clang could be heard. The hot soup was spilled directly on the spot that Meyrin had been seconds ago, if Athrun had not pulled her into his arms. "AH! I'm s-so sorry!" the waitress cried as she immediately went back to get a rag to clean up the mess.

Meyrin breathed deeply, after just nearly avoiding the accident. My orbs widened as I saw Athrun held her protectively in his arms as if he would not allow anyone to harm her in anyway. Slowly, he released her as he looked deep into her eyes. "Meyrin.. are you hurt anywhere?" he said coolly.

"N-no... I'm fine... Thanks," Meyrin breathed as her heart began to settle down somewhat.

"That's good. Just wait for her to clean up the mess before going," said Athrun as he sat back down.

Meyrin nodded and did as he said. "That was a really close encounter, ne?" said Rusty. "Scared me for a moment there,"

Meyrin gave a small smile. "Sorry," she said quietly.

The rest of the day went on as we went to many different rides in the amusement park, but during all that time, my eyes remained only on one person; Athrun. He looked like he was having a lot of fun because he smiled a lot more often than he did before. And I felt my heart ache as I thought that Meyrin was really better for him. _But why does it hurt so much?_ That question rang in my head several times, unable to exit my train of thoughts. "Cagalli? Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good," Rusty said observantly.

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts. "H-huh? Oh... it's just that I feel slightly ill," I lied as I tried to give him a smile, but with little success.

Meyrin and Athrun paused in their actions as they also looked at me with the same concern. "Do you want me to take you home then? It's no problem," Rusty offered.

I shook my head again. "Nah it's alright. It isn't too far to my house and a little fresh air will do me some good. I'm sorry to ruin your date," I said apologetically, and I truly meant it.

Rusty shook his head. "No, it's okay. I had fun while it lasted. Your health is more important," he said.

I gave him a small smile. "Thank you and I'll see you later then. Have fun, Meyrin... Athrun," I said as I then left the amusement park to walk down to the overpass not too far away to collect my thoughts.

I liked visiting this overpass, since it was usually not too crowded and had a good view of the sky, which was beginning to darken. This day wasn't too enjoyable for me. Why? Why wasn't I having fun? Usually I would have a lot of fun on a date like this... Was it because I saw Athrun and Meyrin together? Was that why it was bothering me so much? "Heh.. I'm so stupid... aren't I?" I mumbled with a small smile.

"Those two are definitely meant to belong together. I'm just a third wheel," I mumbled to myself.

As I looked around, I saw that streetlights were beginning to turn on as I could see couples now using the overpass and Rusty came to mind. "I guess I was just jealous to seem them so intimate with each other that I agreed to go out with Rusty. But in the end, I was just using him. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?" I whispered as a cold breeze went past me.

"Oh look! Snow!" I heard someone behind me whisper as it began to snow softly.

I looked up as I could begin to picture someone's gentle features in the sky. "Who I truly love..." I started off as memories of a certain boy filled my thoughts.

His smile, his kindness, his laughter.. I loved it all. But most of all, I loved him. Though it took so long for me to realize it, and by now it was probably too late, it was true... "The one who I truly love is Athrun Zala," I whispered as a single tear ran down my face.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Cagalli has finally realized her feelings for Athrun! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, though it did get slightly sticky on some parts. Next chapter will be the last of CagallixRusty I guess, so now I have to decide how to deal with MeyrinxAthrun... Well this fic has gone longer than I originally planned out (since it was supposed to be a shorter fic like about 10 chaps... but oh well) but I guess I'll end it soon at around chapter 16 or 18 at the most. Anyway, see you soon!**


	13. The One with a Golden Heart

**A/N: Hey everyone! Wow.. first week back after the break was exhausting, but here's another chapter.. though some of you might decide to skim it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS or GSD **

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**Chapter 13: The One with a Golden Heart**

"I'm home!" I called out to no one in particular as I closed the door behind me.

I sighed as I illuminated the kitchen as I fixed something for myself to eat. It was so quiet. "Kira's probably still out," I said to myself as I poured some hot water into my cup of ramen.

"No I'm not,"

I spun around in my chair as I saw a ghost figure floating behind me. "K-kira! You scared me for a moment there! I thought you were out," I said as my heart slowed down its acelerated pace.

Kira gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry... Lacus and I went to the amusement park and coincidentally, we met Athrun and Meyrin there. When Meyrin went to get something to eat, Athrun told us that he met up with you earlier, but said that you felt ill, so you went home," he explained. "If you were ill, why did you take so long to come home?"

I lowered my chopsticks as I said nothing. "Were you really ill?" Kira asked as he sat down next to me on an unoccupied chair.

"No... not really. I just wanted to be on my own for a little bit," I asnwered. "The amusement park seemed quite crowded and was making me a little uncomfortable,"

Kira's observant eyes looked me over closely. "Was that the only reason? Or... could it be that you didn't want to see Athrun and Meyrin together?" he said as he hit the nail on the head.

I scowled unnoticeably. Kira knew me way too well, considering he was my best friend. "Look, I don't really want to talk about this. I think I'm just going to finish eating and go up to bed; it's been a long day," I said as I ate quickly.

"Alright then," Kira shrugged as his face showed that he was thinking things over again. "But remember, if there's ever anything bugging you, please let me know,"

I nodded as I quickly finished up. As I slipped right into bed, I secretly opened an eye to look at Kira who looked quite solemn as he sat on the moon-lit window, looking out towards our night sky. I held my blankets closer to me, welcoming its warmth. _Kira looks worried... could it be because of me? What should I do?_ A whole bundle of questions crowded my mind. _And what about Rusty? What should I tell him? Agh! This is driving me insane!_

My questions were left unanswered as I eventually drifted off to sleep. The next day, I spent it at home; cleaning up things, replying to the emails my parents sent me etc. "So when are they coming home?" Kira asked as he hung upside down from the ceiling.

"Mm.. things got delayed, so in about two months time I guess," I replied as I turned off the computer and rose to stretch.

"Anything you want to do today?" Kira asked as he slowly descended back down to earth.

I cocked my head to one side. "Well not rea-"

I was interrupted by the sound of the door bell. "Are you expecting anyone, Cags?" Kira questionned as we exited my room and made our way downstairs.

I shook my head. "Nope. It can't be Lacus, she'd usually let us know ahead of time if she was coming," I said quietly as I went to answer the door.

"Hi Cagalli!" Rusty's cheerful face beamed.

I blinked in surprise. "H-hey.. what brings you here?" I asked uncertainly.

Rusty blushed slightly as he gave me an embarassed smile. "W-well you see.. I felt worried about your health, since you said you weren't feeling well yesterday so I came over. Did you have lunch yet? Because I bought over some kebabs if you didn't," he said as he held up the small box that was held in a plastic bag to show me.

I felt speechless at his kindness. "U-uh... n-no... I haven't yet... c-come on in, I stammered as I stepped to the side.

"Sure,"

As I closed the door behind me, I realised that the living room was still quite a mess. "Ah... sorry about the mess, I was in the middle of cleaning up," I said with a tint of embarassment as I lead him towards the kitchen.

Rusty shrugged as he gave me a small smile. "No problem, besides, how are you feeling today? Any better?" he asked as we took our seats, with Kira hovering above us.

I sighed as I took my share from Rusty. "Thanks.. well I guess so, though I don't really feel like leaving the house today," I answered as I opened my box to reveal my favorite food in the world; kebabs!

"I see..." said Rusty.

My spirits recovered as I took a packet of chili sauce and covered my kebabs in a thin layer. "_Cagalli!!!_ Why?! I hate chili sauce, NO! Don't ea- BLEH!" Kira protested as he could also taste what I tasted.

I happily munched on my kebabs as I ignored Kira's choking on the spicyness. "Damnit Rusty... why did you HAVE to bring kebabs?" Kira mumbled as he shot a glare at the red-head.

Rusty stopped eating for a moment as he looked around the room in suspicion, as if he had just heard everything that Kira had said. "Cagalli, why do I get the feeling that someone is glaring at me? Like a guy with chocolate brown hair who hates spicy things?" he asked curiously.

I froze as I choked on my kebab. "Say WHAT?" I demanded as I sneaked a worried glance at Kira who stopped complaining and froze in mid-air.

Rusty shrugged. "Something among those lines. I've felt it ever since I came inside," he said modestly as he continued to eat.

I sweatdropped as I gave him an uncomfortable smile. "C-c-can you see spirits or something, Rusty?" I asked carefully as I drank some water to wash down the kebab.

Rusty chuckled. "Heh.. that'd be pretty cool, but I don't think so. My great-grandfather used to be a monk who specialized in exorcisim... so usually my instincts are pretty strong. But it must have been just my imagination," he said as he added more yogurt sauce to his kebabs.

"Y-yeah... must have been," I said with an edge to my voice which Kira got my warning and fled up to my room.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem... so what else are you planning to do today?" I asked to change the subject.

Rusty cocked his head to one side. "Not much. Just have to entertain some younger cousins that are coming over soon," he said. "So what's up with you? You seem to be in a lot of confusion," he noted observantly.

I cringed. _Not only Kira but Rusty too?_ Apparently, my face was easy to read. "You wanna talk about it? You might feel better if you do," Rusty said as he lowered his glass.

I looked down onto the table. _How can I tell him? He's one of the people that's involved. I don't want to hurt him... he's been by my side whenever I needed it.. _I shook my head as I gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to burden you with my troubles and such," I said, which was the truth.

He already has a lot to deal with, and adding this on, isn't gonna make his load any lighter. Rusty shrugged. "Okay but whatever that's bothering you, you should get it over and done with, before it gets too problematic and even more stressful," he advised with a serious tone.

I gave a small laugh. "Yeah okay, Mr. Counsellor," I mocked.

Rusty joined in with my laughter. "I really do sound like one, don't I? Ack! It's _this_ late already?! Oh crap!" he said in alert as he looked up at the kitchen clock. "Sorry, but I should go now, before I get in trouble with my relatives for being late," he said apologetically as he cleaned up his meal and tossed it into the garbage.

I gave a small smile as I thought that this guy would never change. "It's okay, I'll walk you out," I offered as I also rose from my chair to follow him to the door.

"Thanks, it was fun talking to you. I hope your problem gets solved soon," said Rusty as he meant every word.

I nodded once as I tried my best to give him my usual smile. "Y-yeah..." I said softly.

"See you later!" and Rusty left.

As I closed the door, I slid down to the ground. I sighed frustratedly as I banged the back of my head against the door. "How am I to tell him that I see him nothing more than just a good friend?" I mumbled miserably. "He's been nothing but a kind person who I can go to when I need help,"

Then I smiled bitterly. "I'm such a horrible person, aren't I?"

--

That night as I laid in bed, I got my solution. It seemed harsh and cruel, but it had to be done. _I'll ask him out tomorrow on one last date before telling him that I can no longer go out with him. He may hate me for what I'm doing, but if I stay with him any longer with these fake feelings of mine, he'll end up being more hurt than he already is._ I sighed for what seemed like the 100th time this week. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day.."

_Next day.._ I rang up Rusty's number on my cell. "Hello?" I heard him answer on the 2nd ring.

"Hey, Rusty? It's me, Cagalli," I said as I swallowed hard.

"Yeah?" His voice sounded surprised but somehow different than his usual delighted tone. "I was just about to call you,"

I lowered my eyes to the ground as I sighed inaudibly. "What did you want to call me about?" I asked, trying to stall for a few more seconds to gather up my courage that kept failing me.

"Oh nothing much... just wanted to see if you wanted to go out with me to several different places," said Rusty.

It was now my turn to be surprised. "I-isn't that right? I-i'd love to go.." I said through a strained voice as immense guilt was building up in me.

"That's great, I'll pick you up at your place in about 10 minutes time," he said as I agreed. "Y-yeah.. sure, see you then," I said as I hung up.

_Oh wondeful... I was planning on rejecting him on a date that I was going to ask him... but now he asked before I could ask!_ I mentally cursed myself, but nevertheless climbed back upstairs to get into something more suitable.

Just like he promised, Rusty arrived very shortly with a few seconds to spare. He honked twice to get my attention. "Coming!" I yelled as I went to the door with Kira at my heels.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

"On a date with Rusty," I said as my pace slowed just before the door.

Kira lowered his eyes. "I see... have fun," he said, as his voice seemed quite sad somehow.

I nodded once as I tried my best to smile. "Y-yeah.. I will... Hope you have a nice day with Lacus," I said before exiting.

"Hey Cagalli! You look very beautiful! Are you ready to go?" Rusty called from his porsche.

I gave an uneasy smile as I nodded. "Oh yeah.. ready.." I said unintelligently.

We drove in uncomfortable silence, well it was uncomfortable for me anyway. I wasn't so sure that it was for Rusty, judging by his usual cheerfulness. "So where are we going?" I asked, trying to make a conversation.

Rusty grinned. "Just a few places which include lunch and some wandering around," he said as it began to snow gently.

"I see..." I said as we resumed back to our silent atmosphere.

We soon stopped in front of a small cafe called Nelru. Even though it was small, it was still quite populated due to the break from school. "I always wanted to come here, but I didn't want to come alone," Rusty admitted as we took our seats.

I smiled. "Oh really? How unexpected of you," I commented as I saw an embarassed blush cross his face.

"Look around,"

I did as he said and my smile faded. The people I saw in here were mostly teenagers, but my smile did not fade because of that, it was because the people in here were mostly couples. As I took a deep breath, I knew I had to tell him. "To be honest-" I started to say, but was interrupted by a small gasp of surprise from Rusty as he stared at the menu.

"Wow! I never knew they also served chinese food in here! No wonder it's so crowded!" he remarked with a childish smile on his face.

I smile uncomfortably. "T-that's probably the reason then..." I said as my courage failed again.

Rusty looked at me strangely as if remembering something. "Ah right! You were saying something before I interrupted?" he said with an apologetic smile.

I shook my head with an akward smile. "It's nothing important.." I said.

_Nothing important my ass! Pull it together Cagalli! Don't be such a wimp!_ I mentally screamed at myself as my gaze returned to the menu. "What would you like to eat, Cagalli?" Rusty asked as he looked up. "I think I was some fried noodles with beef and veggies,"

"Uh... I want..." my eyes quickly scanned the menu, not caring about what I ate. "Baked pork chop in gravy and rice," I decided.

"Okay that's sounds quite good. Waiter!" Rusty called as a waitress quickly rushed over.

Once we finished eating, we hit the roads once more. "Where are we going now?" I asked as I saw that we left the main area and went nearer the housing complex areas.

"A place where I used to spend my time when I was younger, c'mon!" Rusty said as he drove slightly faster.

Sometime shortly, Rusty stopped and parked the car in the parking lot. "A playground?" I said in surprise as we exited the car.

Rusty nodded with a boyish grin. "Yep! I made a lot of good memories here when I was a little kid, since I used to live around here before I moved," he said as he tilted his head over to the playground.

It was snowing, but to my surprise, it wasn't too cold. At least it was warmer than it was when we were on our ski trip. In the play area, I saw a lot of small children building snowmen and snow forts while laughing cheerfully. "So carefree, aren't they?" Rusty said with a small chuckle as he looked at what I was looking at.

I nodded. "Yeah.. it's been a while since I've last been to a playground like this," I said as I brushed off some snow that was on the swingset and sat down.

Rusty smiled in agreement. "Same here," he said as he looked upwards.

I looked down to the snow-covered ground as I remembered the good times I used to have with Kira as children. Kira hated the cold, but I didn't mind it. _"C'mon Kira! Just for a little while! Please?" I begged as I looked out the window. "Look! Everyone's out there, just not us!"_

_And Kira would sigh, resigning himself to fate. "Alright alright! But look, only for an hour, okay?" he would say while I would jump up and down cheering 'yay!'._

But that was probably one of last memories I was actually able to spend with him, when he was alive, because as soon as spring hit, Kira was no longer alive. As I thought of Kira, I was reminded how he reacted earlier. I cleared my throat. _I have to tell Rusty now before I lose my chance!_ I thought determinedly. "Rusty, look- about this whole deal about goin- ACK!" I started to say, but was cut off as I was hit in the face with a wet snow ball.

As I heard a familar chuckle, I knew who it was before I wiped off the snow on my face. "Hehe.. you should've seen your face!" Rusty said delightedly as he continued to laugh.

I scowled as I got off the swingset and made a snowball of my own. "You're gonna get it, Mackenzie!" I cried as I chased after him, who was still laughing as he ran.

_Another perfect moment ruined! _I cursed myself but sighed. _But I guess I have to make this moment last... since for me, it's the last date I'll be going on with Rusty._ I thought to myself as I threw my snowball, which of course missed my intended target.

"You missed! Now, face my counterattack!" Rusty said as he quickly packed some snow together and then chased after me.

As our little war of two ended, our day was nearly over. We both laid on the ground gasping as we were both quite soaked through. "H-ha... you're tougher than you look," Rusty admitted as his face was beaded with sweat.

I smirked as I sat up. "O-of course... so, are there any more places that you wanted to go?" I asked as Rusty sat up with a small smile.

"Yes, the last place where I wanted to take you," he said.

I nodded as I decided that wherever this last place would be, I had to tell him no matter what happened. "Let's go,"

The last place turned out to be a place near the lighthouse, where couples liked to spend their time to watch the sunset. "How is it? A great view, isn't it? _Though it is a little cold,_" Rusty said with a small smile on his face as he stood next to me. "The ocean is so big! It seems that it can go on forever, doesn't it?"

I said nothing as I looked out towards the horizon, just as the sun touched the surface of the water, making the water seem like shimmering gold. "Beautiful..." I breathed as my courage was gathered together for the last time.

I swallowed hard. It seemed something next to impossible to do but, "Rusty! I'm sorr-" I started to say, but he said it before I could.

"Let's break up,"

My eyes widened in surprise. "Wha?" I was surprised that my voice didn't tremble as I spoke.

Rusty's face was sad, sadder than I have ever seen him, but like always, he still gave me a smile, even if it was a sad one. "I'm sorry for pushing you to go out with me," he said, as he meant every word. "I guess...you never really had any feelings for me at all,"

I was unable to speak as I felt the pain in his words. _He loved me a lot.._ Rusty gave a small laugh. "But it's okay! The one who you love the most is Athrun, isn't it?" he said with a small shrug.

I couldn't answer as my eyes were glued to his face. Just looking at him was painful for me, but I did not deserve to have any sympathy; Rusty was hurt much deeper than I was. He was a strong person, but not everyone can always keep their head held high, no matter how much they tried. "Well... I thought that I could change the way you felt, but I guess I was just fooling myself...Ah, I'm an idiot," he said with a smile.

Tears began to blur my vision. It wasn't fair... not at all. Why was I the one who was crying? But since they were already trailing down my face, I was unable to control them. Even if Rusty wasn't crying despite being wounded, I would cry for him and pray that his heart will be mended by a girl much kinder than I could ever be. "I-i'm so sorry..." I whispered sadly.

Rusty patted my hair gently as he bent down so that he was level with me. "Please don't cry Cagalli... it stains your cheerful face..." he said as I wiped my tears away the best I could.

"S-sorry..." I repeated as my shoulders were trying to stop shaking.

"I never intended to be the bad guy, but I did the worst thing; making you cry. Will you forgive me?" he murmured as he helped me up gently.

I could only stare at him and his kindness. _Forgive him? I should be the one asking him that!_ But even though the words were lost in my mouth, a small nod came from me, which brightened Rusty's smile. "Thank you... I wish you the best of luck. Good-bye, Cagalli," he said softly as he left before I knew it.

I wiped my face once more as I looked down to the water which surprisingly was not covered by ice. My face really was a mess; my eyes were red and blotchy. I sniffled as I tried to hold my head higher.

_I really am sorry... Thank you, Rusty.. _

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the lack of Athrun, but I wanted to build up on Rusty's character. I once read this line that really moved me when I was thinking up Rusty's personality: _"He was a boy who loved her smile and even though it wasn't for him, he still smiled all the time because he was that type of boy" _Meaning that he was a guy with a good heart. Since Cagalli and Rusty broke up, I'll have to work out the Athrun Meyrin, though I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to get it all done in just the next chapter. I also like the idea of Rusty playing match maker, which he does for a few moments in the next chapter, trying to pair our favorite duo together. And the possibility of RustyxMeyrin did cross my mind more than once and they are very good to each other, but I'm still not sure if they will end up together. **

**I've gotten many reviews saying, 'Oh FINALLY Cagalli gets her feelings straightened out!' and I'm sure that a lot of you are thinking that as well. From the beginning, I never wanted their relationship to expand too quickly, since in my other fic, DM, things were horribly done in my opinon, but I don't feel like re-writing it. Speaking of fics, I've gotten a request that I don't start my new fic until this one is completed, which in the end I also agree with due to my procrastination and schedule. Wow... my longest note ever.. Anyway, see you all in the next week or two! **


	14. Endless Questions

**A/N: Thanks for all of those reviews on my last chapter. One even commented that it gets sadder and sadder.. (littlelink048) and I agree on that, but hopefully things will start to look up soon. I've been procasinating for the past month, which was the answer to why I haven't updated for a while. I just want this fic finished, so that I can start on a new one, but there's at least 4 more chapters to go, so I'll have to get things working faster. Even though it is short, my trail of ideas just ended there, so here's the 14th chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD **

* * *

**Chapter 14: Endless Questions**

A short while passed since I last spoke with Rusty and our winter break passed as quickly as it had come. I yawned tiredly as I stood up and stretched. "Tired Cagalli?" I heard a familar voice chuckle lightly.

My head turned to meet Rusty's ever-so-cheerful face. "Yeah, can't believe winter break ended so quickly," I said as I rubbed my head sleepily.

Rusty chuckled again. "That is so like you," he said with a boyish grin as the teacher came in and told us to sit down.

We all took our places and I looked at Rusty as he was chatting like usual with the people around him. I couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease. It had been only a week since the two of us broke up, but he seemed almost back to himself. But then again, Rusty was usually cheerful, but I enjoyed seeing him smile happily compared to the sad smile I had seen him that last day. Then my glance turned over to Athrun who looked quite bored in class and was staring out the window. _Even though I had been selfish, Rusty wished me good luck... If I ever got the chance again, I will let Athrun know how much he means to me, but for now, I'm sastified with looking at him from a distance._

I glanced over to the empty seat that was a few desks behind him to see that Meyrin was not here. _Strange.. she usually is here for class... I wonder if anything happened to her?_

Ms. Murrue came in shortly and we began class. During the whole time, my mind kept wandering about, unable to keep focus on what Ms. Murrue was saying. Several times, I caught myself as my eyes started to drift towards Athrun, like what I was doing now. My widened slightly as Athrun glanced briefly in my direction before turning away immediately. A pinkish tint remained on my face as I was caught starring at him as lowered my eyes back down onto the textbook. _What is he thinking? Usually if I were caught starring at him, he would smirk, but this time, his expression showed nothing!_ I thought quickly as I tapped my pencil onto my desk impatiently.

As the end of the day came, I sighed as I saw that Athrun was out the door as soon as the bell rang. "What is his problem? He's never in a hurry," Mirillia said observantly as she came by my desk.

I shrugged. "I don't know... he seems rather odd today," I said with indifference.

Dearka cocked his head to one side. "Eh... don't worry too much about that guy. He's probably down since his girlfriend isn't here today," he said as he closed one eye.

"I see," I said as I walked towards the doorway.

"_Dearka!_" I heard Mirillia cried out as a whacking sound was heard along with Dearka's cry of protest.

"_Hey! What did I do?!_"

As I walked down the hallway, I couldn't help but think, _So that's it huh? I guess Athrun really cares a __lot for Meyrin to worry about her. Do I really stand a chance?_ I kicked at a small pebble irritably when I felt something cold on my back. "HEY!" I cried out in surprise as I whipped around to see who was there.

I lowered my fists as I was greeted by the grinning face that belonged to Rusty Mackenzie who held up an icy water bottle. "Sorry about that, you seemed kind of lost in your thoughts," he said apologetically as he lowered his bottle.

I shrugged. "It's okay; you were right, I was thinking of some things," I admitted. "So what's up?"

"Nothing really, but I just came here to deliver a message,"

"A message? From who?"

"A personal message from Athrun Zala himself. He wants to talk to you on the rooftop,"

I stopped walked as I turned around to face the redhead. "What does he want to see me for?" I asked as I kept my tone neutral.

Rusty shrugged as he scratched his head. "Hmmm, I don't know. He didn't say anything else. Maybe you should go find out," he said with a smile.

I raised my eyebrow at him, but his unwavering smile was still there. I sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright.. I'll go," I said as I headed for the stairs. "See you later,"

Rusty only grinned as he waved a hand. _What does he want to see me for? He's done nothing but ignore me... well, there's only one way to find out._ As I opened the metal door that lead to the rooftop, I saw a familar figure stand near the railing as he turned to look at me. "You're late,"

I raised an eyebrow. _You ignore me the whole day and the first thing you have to say to me is 'You're late'?!?_ "WELL excuse me for being late, I was busy doing something important," I lied.

Athrun sighed as he turned his back to the railing and walked towards me. "So what did you wanted to talk about?" he asked.

I blinked. "W-what? What do you mean? Weren't you the one who called me up here?" I demanded.

Athrun raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "No," he answered.

I cursed Rusty mentally. _How dare that guy! Is he pushing me to confess?! I'll get you back..._ I cleared my throat. "W-well... if you don't have anything to say, I'll just be going back.." I said as I turned for the door but a hand was there keeping it closed.

"Hey! What is your prob-" I said as I spun around angrily.

My sentence drifted off as I saw how strange Athrun's emerald orbs looked. "Athrun?" I questionned softly.

"Wait, don't leave. I have something to ask you," he said as he looked into my eyes deeply.

I swallowed as I noticed that his body was only a mere inches away from mine. "W-well... what is it?" I said, trying to keep my voice cool.

"I heard that you and Rusty broke up," Athrun said, which seemed more like a statement to me.

I couldn't help but notice that Athrun's usually cool composture looked a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, that's right," I said quietly as I looked downwards.

"But that's not all... I heard something unusual from Rusty... t-that you like someone else.. is that true?" Athrun questionned as I felt his emerald orbs scan my face throughly.

I only looked at him in surprise. _Rusty told him? How could he?! I thought he was on my side...?_ As various thoughts went through my mind, I noticed Athrun exhaled deeply as he closed his eyes for a moment.

* * *

_**Flashback (Athrun's POV)**:_

_I was busy cleaning the other tables before closing but as I heard that familar ring of the bell that hung above the door, my head immediately looked up as I opened my mouth to say we were to close. Before the words exited my mouth, I realised that I knew that familar face. "Rusty..."_

_I was slightly surprised at the hint of bitterness in my tone as I saw him approach me. "Cagalli's shift wasn't today," I said as I looked into his emerald orbs that much ressembled my own._

_To my surprise, Rusty gave me a sad smile which was unusual for the happy-go-lucky guy. "I know she doesn't have a shift today, that's why I came," he said, his voice indifferent. "I need to talk to you,"_

_I stared at him for a moment before agreeing. "Okay, but there's ten more minutes before my shift ends. Could you wait here until I am finished?" I said slowly as I placed my hand onto the cleaning rag that was left on the table._

_Rusty gave a small nod. "Sure thing,"_

_I worked quickly, but my eyes drifted over to the red-head who made himself at home and sat down at one of the un-occupied tables. I couldn't help but note that he looked really distant, as if he was lost in thought over some heavy matter. I sighed as I finished up and headed towards the kitchen. "Who was that?" Chef Murdoch asked as I entered and dumped my rag into the sink. "It's nearly closing time,"_

"_A friend of mine. He wanted to talk to me for a moment," I said as I brought out two glasses._

"_Well I guess that's okay, but no longer than fifteen minutes okay kid?" said Murdoch as he turned to face me._

_I nodded. "It shouldn't take too long," I said as I poured some tea into both glasses before leaving to join Rusty._

_I stopped at the table where Rusty sat. "Is tea fine?" I asked as I nodded to the glasses I had in my hands._

_Rusty grinned his usual boyish grin. "Sure, thanks," he said as I placed his glass down and then took a seat._

"_So, what did you want to talk about?" I questionned as I saw Rusty's smile fade._

"_Cagalli and I... we broke up," he said as he lowered his gaze onto the table as I swallowed deeply._

_I stared at him. "W-what?" I made out as I lowered my glass onto the table._

_Rusty raised his eyes so that they were now focused on me. "Exactly what I had said. We're no longer dating," he said as he tilted his chair so that it stood on its back legs._

"_I-i see..." I said quietly._

"_Well, I knew it from the start, but the truth is that there's someone else that Cagalli loves... someone who's closer to her than anyone and has been there for her when she needed it," said Rusty as he gave a small smile._

_I blinked as my eyes widened in shock. "W-what? This can't be that Cagalli loves... another? Why didn't she tell me? We're quite close... she would've told me something this important," I protested as I scanned his face for any lies._

_Rusty only shook his head gently. "Everyone has a secret or two that they cannot tell others until the time is appropriate. But why does it matter to you that Cagalli loves another? It's not like you're her boyfriend or anything," he said softly_

_I swallowed. "You're right... I'm not her boyfriend, I'm Meyrin's. It only mattered to me since we were such close friends," I said as that seemed to be the quickest answer that I could come across._

_Rusty finished his tea as he stood up. He turned his head to face me."Is that the only reason? Aren't you curious on who this 'mysterious man' is? Think carefully, Athrun," and with that, he was gone._

**End of Flashback**

* * *

"So is it?" Athrun repeated as I swallowed deeply.

_Should I tell him the truth? B-but I'm not ready! Besides, he already has a girlfriend!_ I raised my eyes to look at his deep emerald eyes. "Yes, it's true, I have someone that I like, but do to some circumstances, I cannot confess at the moment," I said truthfully.

Athrun's eyes flickered or a moment before he backed off slightly and turned his gaze downwards. "I see... why didn't you just tell me in the first place? I thought we were friends," he said, as I felt a tinge of pain in his voice.

I stepped forward to look at him square on. "We _are_ friends, that's why I didn't tell you. Besides, you shouldn't bother yourself with this matter. Afterall, you have Meyrin, don't you," I hinted.

**(A/N: Referring to the first sentence Cagalli said, 'We are friends, that's why I didn't tell you' she hints that she couldn't tell him her feelings, but Athrun thinks she meant that since they were only friends, she couldn't tell him that she liked someone. Sorry for the confusion..) **

"Y-yeah... you're right. Sorry if I startled you.. I should go see how Meyrin's doing at home," he said as he excused himself and left.

As I heard the door shut behind me, I slid towards the ground. I sighed. "I really can't tell him, can I? Sorry Rusty... all your efforts were wasted," I murmured softly as the soft breeze whizzed past.

_At the Hawke's place..._ A door bell rang throughout the house while Athrun stood there waiting in front of the solid oak door. Footsteps came down rather quickly and swiftly opened the door. "A-athrun? What are you doing here?" the older of the Hawke sisters asked.

"Hey Lunamaria, I'm here to see how Meyrin's doing. I brought some ice cream," Athrun said as he raised his hand which contained a small container of vanilla ice cream.

Lunamaria smiled. "Well, come on in then. Mey's up in her room. She has a fever and a sore throat. But I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, since she's been in bed all day long," she said as she opened the door wider.

"Okay,"

Lunamaria led Athrun upstairs and down the hallway. They paused in front of a door with a picture of a bear holding a heart. Luna knocked. "Hey Mey! Can we come in?" she asked. "You'll never guess who came to see you,"

A small but just audible voice coughed and said sickly, "C-come in,"

As Athrun entered, Meyrin's eyes widened in surprise. "A-a-ath-run..." she said hoarsely as she sat up immediately and smoothed her hair that ressembled a haystack.

"I'll leave you two here since I'm pretty sure I'd be in the way," Lunamaria winked at her sister before leaving.

The door closed, which left the two of them. "So Meyrin, how are you feeling?" Athrun asked as he drew out a chair and sat down, facing the girl.

"B-been worse...b-but hap-py that y-you came," said Meyrin as she cleared her throat.

"I brought some ice cream, hope vanilla's fine,"

Athrun handed her the small container of ice cream. Meyrin smiled gratefully as she took a small bite and her smile widened. "Mmm... good," she murmured as the coolness went down her throat.

Athrun gave a small smile. "That's good if you like it," he said as his mind began to wonder.

His mind turned to everything that had happened today and a few days past which his thoughts were filled with Cagalli and Rusty. Why did it matter to him who Cagalli liked? Shouldn't he just support her and be happy that she liked someone? _But what happens if the one she likes is not a good guy? What happens if he's a gang member or something bad like that? _Athrun shook his head. _No.. I'm overthinking it... Cagalli wouldn't choose someone like that.. would she? But I still don't understand what she meant that we were only friends and that she couldn't tell me. Is it really that bad? Is she ashamed of something? An unrequited love? Agh! More and more questions come up instead of answers!_

"A-athrun..?"

Athrun whipped his head. "Sorry, did you say something?" he asked as he realised that his mind was out of the room.

Meyrin shook her head as she paused from eating. _Why is Athrun acting so strange? I had to call him four times before he heard me. He seems really distant.. what's bothering him?_ She thought to herself as she sneaked a glance at the guy, who was once more, really distant.

"Athrun..?"

Athrun blinked several times. "Um... it's getting late... I think I should leave, or else you won't get better soon," he said quickly as he stood up.

"N-... 'kay," said Meyrin as she changed her mind halfway through.

"I'll see you tomorrow as well, but hopefully you'll be better by then.. See you," said Athrun as he walked through the door.

Meyrin laid back down into the bed as the door closed behind her. _Athrun... what are you thinking about? Will you really come see me tomorrow?_ Her mind drifted to sleep as she could find no answers.

As Athrun said goodbye to Luna and walked down the street, he suddenly paused as he punched the brick wall with frustration. "Agh! What the heck is wrong with me today? Why is this bothering me _so_ much?" he said angrily.

He exhaled deeply as he looked at his knuckles, which were begining to turn red. Once again, he failed to find an answer to his questions.

* * *

**A/N: When I looked it over, I realised that it wasn't as good as the previous chapters and I apologize for that, but it's been a really exhausting week, so hopefully I'll be able to get better ideas from now on. Anyway, see you next time!**


	15. Athrun

**A/N: Hey everyone! How are you all doing? Thanks for all of those reviews on my last chapter! I've been sick for the past few days so reading them over, hoping to get some new ideas helped a lot! I rarely use character names for chapter names, but I guess this chapter mostly does focus on Athrun (though only in the second half). Anyway, hope you'll enjoy!**

**Wild Child on the loose****: I'm not a big supporter of Meyrin (not AsuMey either!) but I do not have an intention to kill her off in this fic. I agree that Athrun and Cagalli belong together, but Meyrin will not die here. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD **

* * *

**Chapter 15: Athrun**

"Mey, are you sure you want to go to school today? It's okay if you don't want to, besides, you just got better," said Lunamaria as she glanced over to her younger sister who stood in front of the mirror tying her hair.

"I'll be fine, I assure you," said Meyrin as she turned her head to the side to see if both sides of her hair were even.

_Besides, I want to know why Athrun was acting so awkward the other day... is the reason at school? I should find out._

-----

I sighed as I recalled yesterday's results. _I can't believe Athrun now knows part of my secret. I don't know whether I should be happy or upset. I mean, I don't think I can keep my feelings bottled up any longer or else I'm going to lose my insanity! Last night, I could barely sleep at all... jeez... I have bags under my eyes as well.._ I groaned as I covered my face with both hands.

"What's wrong Cagalli? Not having a good morning?" a familiar voice chuckled lightly.

"Part of it is _your_ fault, Rusty Mackenzie," I groaned again as I removed my hands.

Rusty ignored me. "Wow, you really didn't get much sleep at all. I mean, you look like a panda bear," he teased as he sat down at the desk in front, but turned around to face me.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't ignore me, I have enough trouble as it is. Now tell me, why did you tell _him_?!" I hissed as I banged my fists onto the desk.

Rusty cocked his head to one side. "Cagalli, you were taking such a long time to confess, so I thought to speed things along... I didn't mean to bring you trouble, honest," he said.

I sighed as my anger vanished instantly and brought my head down to my hands. He was only trying to help after all, so I couldn't really get mad at this guy, as much as I wanted to shoot him. But still... "I appreciate it, but I want to take things at my own pace, so just let me do this on my own, okay?" I said as I raised my eyes to his emerald ones.

Rusty nodded and had his usual boyish smile. "Okay, okay. I understand, but I'd wish your pace would be slightly faster," he said as the door slid open.

My eyes flickered to the door as I saw a pale looking redhead walk into the classroom. _Hey it's Meyrin, she looks paler than usual.. why is she here? She should be at home, not at school.._ I thought as the girl sat down my her desk.

"Hey there, Meyrin! How are you feeling?" Rusty asked as he turned his head to face her.

Meyrin gave him a small smile. "I'm doing much better than yesterday, so as you can see, I'm here. Besides, it's a hassle to catch up on past work, don't you think?" she said.

Rusty nodded. "Yeah, definitely. However, you still look a little pale... so as class representative, I suggest you take things easy, okay?" he suggested.

Meyrin nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

The teacher came in and the class began shortly. As the lesson began, I looked towards the desk that wasn't too far from me to find it vacant. _Where's Athrun? Did something happen to him? I hope that's not the case..._ I thought as my eyes drifted towards Kira, who floated around outside. _Kira's alone as well... now I'm even more worried... Lacus isn't here either. Did something happen to either of them? No wait, Lacus is.. well, you know... Nothing could happen to her. Then why isn't she here? _Many unsolved questions kept nagging in my mind until about half way through, the door slid open again, only this time revealed a blunette.

"Sorry I am late," said Athrun as he walked towards Ms. Murrue with a small late slip in his hand.

Ms. Murrue took the slip and glanced briefly at it. "Very well, you are excused this time, but please don't make this a regular habit," she said.

Athrun nodded. "Understood," he said as he took his seat.

My eyes drifted towards him. _He looks exhausted.. I mean, his bags are bigger than mine! He probably overslept... but that's quite irregular for the honor student of the year. What is happening?_ I thought mentally as I glanced towards the window to see a relieved looking Kira.

* * *

_With Kira and Lacus..._

"Sorry I'm late!" said an apologetic Lacus as she panted quite hard. "Athrun was impossible to wake up this morning,"

Kira smiled as he took her down to the ground. "It's alright. I know what you mean, afterall, I nearly wasn't able to get Cagalli up on time either. I mean, she didn't sleep until 4 in the morning!" he complained.

Lacus blinked. "That's a little particular... Athrun was having trouble sleeping as well. That's why he was late this morning... I wonder what's wrong with him.." she said thoughtfully.

Kira shrugged. "That's what I am wondering as well, for the two of them. Usually, I would be able to read Cagalli's emotions, since I've been with her for so long, but lately, her mind is really clouded. It usually is pretty clear, but it became foggy then clear and now it's foggy once more. I don't get it," he said as he scratched his chocolated brown hair.

Lacus sighed. "Same with Athrun, only his mind isn't cloudy, it's more like a swamp... It became like that a few days ago. When I asked him, he wouldn't tell me anything, only that he was thinking some things over," she said.

Kira placed his hand on Lacus's shoulder as she tilted her head so that it laid on his shoulder. "When did things get so complicated?" she whispered gently.

Kira patted her head. "I don't know.. but perhaps with time we'll find out," he said.

Lacus's gaze dropped to the floor. "I know... things always end out like that, but I don't think we'll have much time left," she whispered sadly.

"I know... that's why we have to do our best to help them in anyway we can, right?" said Kira as he looked upwards towards the sky.

Lacus nodded as she wiped away a single tear. "Right,"

* * *

"I requested to the librarian to hold 30 textbooks for us. Could three of you please go get them?" Ms Murrue asked as several hands flew into the air, mine included. 

I noticed that Athrun's hand and Meyrin's were also up. In the end, the three of us were chosen. As we made our way down to the library, it was awkward between the three of us. I felt like the third wheel, but I also couldn't help but notice that the air around both Meyrin and Athrun seemed a little umcomfortable as well. "What a pain, having to go get books... but I guess this is better than staying in class," I said, trying to make conversation.

Athrun shrugged. "Yeah, but Ms. Murrue probably couldn't get all of them down to class on her own, so here we are," he said.

As we entered the library, it seemed that the librarian really did have the text books ready for us. "Here's three piles of ten.. are you sure that you can handle all of them? They're quite heavy," she said as she nodded to the pile of books beside her desk.

Athrun nodded as he gave her a smile. "We'll be fine," he reassured. "C'mon, let's go,"

I took my own pile and staggered slightly. It was heavier than I had thought. "You okay?" Athrun asked as I looked to see that he was watching me carefully.

I nodded. "Of course I am! I've carried heavier things than this before, you know?" I said.

Athrun chuckled lightly. "Okay," he said.

As we made our way out of the library and up the stairs, I had to admit that my arms were growing numb. It was heavier than I had expected. Going upstairs was difficult, but as I looked in front of me, I noticed that Athrun wasn't even breaking a sweat. I swallowed deeply before continuing. As I took another step, there was a loud sound of books falling behind me and I whipped around to see a fallen girl with a number of books scattered around her. "Meyrin! Are you alright?" I called as I dropped my stack of books on a step and rushed down to see her.

Athrun followed me and bent down next to the redhead. He took a quick look at her flushed face and immediately felt her forehead. "Her fever had returned. We need to get her to the Nurse's Office," he said as he gently picked her up, bridal-style.

I hesistated for a slight moment before agreeing. "Okay, you bring her there while I take these books back to Ms. Murrue," I said.

Athrun blinked as he looked at me seriously. "Are you sure you can handle them? It would be bad if you collasped as well," he cautioned.

I gave him a small smile, grateful that he was worrying about me even when his girlfriend was in need of help. "I'll manage. Now go!" I directed as he left with a nod.

I sighed as I gathered up Meyrin's fallen books and made my way upstairs. _He didn't have to worry about me... afterall his girlfriend is more important... However, I can't say that I'm unhappy that he was also concerned for me._ I thought as I went towards Ms Murrue's room. When I got there, I explained the situation and got another to help me with the remaining books. Then as the lunch bell rang, I noticed that Athrun's desk was still vacant.

_He's probably staying with her, just like any boyfriend would, right?" _I sighed as I left the room. _Athrun probably hasn't left her... so that would mean he hasn't had anything to eat right?_ As I made my way down to the cafeteria, I heard someone call after me. "Cagalli! Wait up!" I paused as I looked over my shoulder to see the running figure of Rusty Mackenzie.

"What's up?" I questionned as he slowed down to a walk.

"Where are you going? You already have a lunch,"he said as he nodded to my bento under my arm.

I gave him a shurg. "I'm going to buy something for Athrun, since I doubt he left Meyrin to grab something to eat," I answered.

Rusty paused as he looked at me carefully. "Cagalli..." he started out.

I kept on walking. "I know.. even if I can't tell him my feelings at the moment, the most I can do is stay by his side and help him," I replied with a small shrug.

"I see... you love him a lot, don't you?"

I paused as I turned to look at him. My gaze drifted towards the floor for a second before gazing at Rusty. "Yes I do," I replied simply as I continued to walk down to the cafeteria.

_Meanwhile..._

Athrun sat down on a stool next to Meyrin's sleeping body. _She shouldn't have come to school today if she was still ill. Why did she come?_ He asked himself, but receiving no answers.

"Things have certainly gotten so much more problematic. Why can't they go back to the way they used to be? It's harder to talk to Cagalli, which isn't the way things are supposed to be. Why did she go out with Rusty if she liked another? What was the purpose of doing that and then breaking up with him later?" Athrun said.

He rubbed his head in frustration. _This is giving me a headache..._ Just then, the door to the nurse's office opened slowly to reveal myself. "Hello, Athrun. How is Meyrin?" I brought myself to say.

Athrun wheeled around to give me a small smile. "Still asleep. Her fever has gotten better, but still slightly warm," he said.

I nodded as I walked up to him. I took out the bought lunch box from behind my back and showed it to him. "I bet you're hungry, so here, take this," I said as I held it out for him.

Athrun blinked in surprise. "O-oh is that so? Thanks... Cagalli," he said gratefully as he took the box from my hands.

His fingers touched mine for an instant, but I felt the warm sensation between us. "Don't mention it, that's what _friends_ are for, right?" I said, as I felt a small sting at my own words.

Athrun nodded and gave me a warm smile. "Yeah," he replied shortly.

"Anyway... I should go, I have cleanup duty," I lied. "Enjoy your meal,"

"Okay, see you later,"

I closed the door behind me and walked a few paces before pausing and gazing at the floor. _There's no way I can tell him. He sees me only as a friend... no matter how much I love him, he can't love me back._ I smiled sadly as I went over to the rooftop to clear my mind.

_Afterschool..._ "A-athrun..? Is that you?" a sleepy voice asked.

Athrun blinked as he realised that he was being called. "H-huh? Meyrin? You feeling okay?" he asked as he saw that she was awake.

Meyrin nodded as she gave him a smile. "I'm feeling better than ever. Were you staying here all this time?" she asked as she sat up slowly.

Athrun nodded. "Yeah, I have," he said shortly.

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it,"

"Ah, has school ended already? It's past 4.." Meyrin questionned.

"Yeah, would you like to go home now?" Athrun asked.

Meyrin answered with a nod. "Yes, would you accompany me?"

Athrun blinked but nodded absent mindedly. They left the school shortly and walked down the road towards the bridge. Memories of the past flashed in his mind. _I was standing on this exact same bridge, looking at the water, deep in thought. As I thought I saw something glimmer in the water and leaned over, a shout interrupted my thoughts. "WAIT!" a girl shouted._

_I yelled at in surprise as I saw a blonde girl charge towards me and trip, causing both of us falling into the river. Coughing out excess water, I was able to make it to land without too much difficulty when I realised who had pushed me into the water. It was her, Cagalli Yula Athha.The rumored tomboy who's temper is as hot as pepper and the most athletic out of all the girls in her year. I had heard a lot about her from the other guys in the school who I befriended. _

_I held out my hand to her, which she accepted, but was interrupted my the growling of her empty stomach. Not used to being in such a situation, I couldn't help chuckling amusedly, which triggered annoyance from the blond. "So what? I'm human too! Humans get hungry," she had mumbled with an embarassed tint that crawled across her face._

_At the moment, I thought that she wasn't bad looking at all. Actually, she was quite cute... and interesting, so I decided to get to know her better, which I succeeded._

Athrun smiled to himself as he recalled the moment when he realised that someone was calling his name and looking at him strangely. "Athrun! What are you doing? C'mon!" Meyrin's voice called.

"H-huh? Right... coming!" he shouted as he ran across the small bridge to meet up with her.

Shortly, the two made it to the Hawke's house and Athrun walked Meyrin up to her door. "Thanks for accompanying me," she said sweetly.

Athrun answered with a nod. "No problem," he said.

"There's a lot that I need to catch up on, so I'll see you later," she said.

"Okay, see you," and with that Meyrin went inside.

As Athrun made his way down to Central Point, his mind was still in a state of confusion. _Why did I think of Cagalli when I was with Meyrin? Compared to her, Meyrin is the girl of every guy's dream; she's cute, responsible, kind and loyal... but isn't Cagalli the same in those aspects? Sure, now and then she can be a little rude and fussy, but to me, she knows me the best. What I like, how I feel... feel... what exactly is my relationship with Cagalli? _

_Why do I think about her so much? Aren't I Meyrin's boyfriend? Should one's boyfriend be thinking about another girl constantly? That's not right... or am I a disloyal boyfriend? But then again, with the term 'boyfriend and girlfriend', it means that there should be an intimate feeling between a boy and a girl... Why do I not feel that when I am with Meyrin? Am I not a boyfriend at all?_

Those thoughts ran through Athrun's mind, with more and more questions appearing than disappearing. As Athrun closed his eyes, he could only see the face of a certain blonde. Her smiling face, her hurt expressions, her on-the-verge-of-tears expression. He felt the urge to protect her from everything that could hurt her. He wanted to be there to comfort her when she was down, but most of all, he wanted to be there by her side. Athrun sighed as he then placed a hand over his eyes as he thought about everything that had gone on. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked himself.

"I have a good idea of what I should do, but is it really? I mean, I don't want either Cagalli or Meyrin to be hurt at all... they're both important people, but agh!" Athrun groaned as he kicked a nearby stone statue with frustration.

"I definitely need to talk to someone," he decided as he flipped open his cell phone and dialed a familar number.

"_Hello_?" a voice picked up after several rings.

"Dearka? It's me, Athrun. Are you busy at the moment?" he asked.

There was a bit of shuffling in the background, but a reply came quickly, "Nope, I'm free. What's up?"

"Um... how do I put it..? Uh.. I have a bit of trouble with w-women.." this was sounding stupider and stupider by the word.

A loud laugh could be heard from the other line. "Haha! Y-you? Girl trouble? HA! That's unbelieveable! What happened to the 'all mighty playboy' that transferred to our school in the begining?" Dearka said, as he continuing his line of laughter.

Athrun groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have asked you..." he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "As for that remark, I'm good at attracting them, but I never actually had a conflict between choosing two!"

The laughter died down. "O-oh really? Let me guess... Cagalli and Meyrin. You don't know whether you should go for one or the other right?" Dearka said seriously as he then hit the nail on the head.

"Correct. I don't want to hurt either of them. And what happens if I also get rejected?" Athrun demanded as he turned around on the spot.

"Whoa.. chill! Okay, first things first... what do you feel for Meyrin and what do you feel for Cagalli?" asked Dearka. "Which one seems more like one who you'd like to have as only as a friend and no more? Who seems like you want to spend your life together with? You don't have to answer, but just think about it, afterall, you're also in this and I think that you should go with what you feel. A relationship doesn't work well with fake feelings, y'know?"

"Okay, I think I see what you're getting at. But what about that other question?"

"Well, not everyone succeeds on their first try.. I mean hey, even I got rejected _twice_ by Mir! But in the end, I'm still ended up with her, no? Don't be afraid of failure. If you give up after being rejected once, that is just really sad; it means that the depth of your feelings only go that far," Dearka advised.

Athrun sighed. "Alright, alright. I get it. I'll just have to go with what I feel... hopefully this won't be too bad," he said dejectedly.

A small chuckle could be heard over the line. "Wish you luck. But then again, knowing you, you probably don't need it, considering your luck is better than mine," Dearka said amusedly.

"Thanks, for the advice and stuff," said Athrun as the burden on his shoulders became slightly lighter in weight.

"No problem... that's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah, so talk to you later,"

"See you,"

Athrun hung up and then slipped his cell into his pocket. As he went into the direction of the park, his mind was already made up. _I have to tell Meyrin the truth. The truth that the feelings I feel for her are that of an older brother towards a younger sister... and not those of lovers. This will probably cause her to be hurt, maybe more than I can imagine, but it is better to know the truth than to continue with a lie..._

-----

"Hey Athrun! Over here!" a delighted voice called as she spotted the blunette.

"Hello Meyrin," Athrun said cooly as he approached her in the park.

"Wow, this is the first time you've called me out! It's usually me who does the calling, but anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me?" said Meyrin as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

Athrun swallowed deeply. This was going to be difficult, seeing how happy she was, but it had to be done. "Meyrin, let's break up," he said.

The smile slid of Meyrin's face instantly as she looked at him with those wide pale eyes of hers. "Athrun? What are you talking about? I-i don't understand.." she said in shock.

"Please forgive me... I.. thought things could work out between us, I seriously did... but I was wrong. I... always thought of her as a close friend, so I wasn't aware of my own feelings until it was too late, but the truth is, I realise that I am in love with her," said Athrun. "Although I was happy when you told me that you liked me, I don't think things can continue between us as they are now... so please forgi-"

"That's enough..."

Athrun paused as he looked at the face of the broken-hearted girl. Meyrin's eyes showed sadder emotions than he had ever saw. She was on the brink of tears, all because of him. "Please... don't say any more.. I-i understand..." Meyrin sniffed as she brushed her tears away. "I-i guess things weren't meant to be.. but I was still h-happy, happy that I got to spend time with you, A-athrun,"

Athrun found that he couldn't do anything to ease her pain even if it was only by a little. Words that would come out of his mouth now trying to comfort her will cause her even more distress. "T-thanks for telling me now," Meyrin said sadly.

"I'm sorry,"

"Goodbye, Athrun,"

And with that, Meyrin ran past him as tears began to stream down her face, not wanting to let him see them.

_I truly am sorry... I hope you can find someone who is more suitable for you than I am, for you surely deserve someone who can stay by your side..._ As Athrun opened his eyes, he could see that the path was a lot clearer for him now than it had been before. _Only one more thing to do now, whether I can succeed or not, I don't know, but wait for me, Cagalli... _

* * *

**A/N: So how was it? It's about 11pm here, so I don't really know whether it was well done or not, but I hope it was alright. After this chapter, I suspect that things will go quite smoother and faster. About another 2 or 3 chapters until this story is finished. Usually in my other fics, I pair Athrun and Cagalli a lot faster, but this is the slowest yet. Thanks for bearing with me up until now.**

**Big Thanks to everyone who reviewed (not in any order): **

**Hades.Throne.Heiress, Minatsuki, yutakalamia, revenantangel94, taylaacheer7, Kween Of Roses, Artificial Life Creator, CagalliRules, Canadain-Girl, Jade Valentine, cagalliyulathha, ChildishVampire, imuzuok, -cUrIeMaNgAkAs-, Mage666, cags4ever, sakurahana88, i love hershey, PinkPrincess511, Wild Child on the loose**

**And my anonymous people:**

**Littlelink048, katkat, jess **

**Hope I didn't forget anyone!! **


	16. Confession

**A/N: Hi everyone! I reached over 100 reviews! This fic so far is better than the others that I've done, which made me quite happy to see that my writing has improved (either that or the ideas). Also, I'm pleased to say that my birthday passed by on the 11th, so I'm also a year older! Anyway, enough of me, please enjoy this short and cheesy chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD�**

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**Chapter 16: Confession**

"Cagalli, do you have a minute?" Athrun asked as gathered up my stuff.

I shook my head, "No, the bell is about to ring, so you'll have to tell me later," I said as I brushed past him, leaving him behind.

_I'm sorry, Athrun. I cannot face you. Even though I was the one who encouraged Meyrin to confess to you, it turns out that I also like you. Usually it wouldn't be a problem, but you're someone else's boyfriend now. We're only just friends, afterall. _I thought as I made my way to class before the bell even rang.

"Wow, you're here early, which is unusual for you," a familar voice said behind me.

I spun around in annoyance. "Oh be quiet Kira. I'm never late, y'know?" I hissed quietly, so that no one could hear us.

Kira chuckled. "Oh really? What about the time when you overslept sometime last week and the time before that and the time from before?" he said as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

I swatted him, just missing him by several centimeters. "Why are you here? Where's Lacus?" I questionned as I looked past him to find that Lacus, who was usually by his side, wasn't there.

Kira shrugged. "I didn't see her in the morning, so I went to find Athrun, who said that she felt like staying at home today. I hope she's feeling well," he said.

I tapped my pencil on the table impatiently. "Well, both of you guys are ghosts, right? So ghosts shouldn't be able to get sick," I remarked.

"What shouldn't be able to get sick?" a voice asked, as I noticed that a shadow loomed over my head.

I looked up, to see Rusty Mackenzie in good humor. "Oh nothing! I was just talking to myself..." I said quickly as he took his seat in front of me.

Rusty was a really great person, but also, he's the closest one who could possibly find out that I can see and talk to ghosts, due to his senses. Rusty grinned. "You shouldn't do that too often, it'll cause people to think you're not normal," he teased. "By the way, why are you here early today?"

I raised my eyebrow in annoyance. _Is it really that strange that I came a little earlier than I usually do? Men!_ "It's because _I'm not normal_ remember?" I said.

Rusty's grin, became wider as he chuckled lightly. "Of course," and with that, math class started.

As soon as class terminated, I was thte first out the door. I threw everything into my locker quickly and then exited the school. "What's the hurry?" Kira questionned as he floated beside me. "And where are we going?"

"Nothing, I just felt like eating somewhere else for a change; the school's atmosphere feels like it's strangling me today," I lied as we crossed the field.

_The reason why I'm not at my usual places is because I know that Athrun will be looking for me to talk to me, but at the moment, I don't want to see him._ I thought.

_Something's not right..._ Kira thought as he stole a glance at me, who was too busy looking at the scenery that we passed by. "Hey, how about here?" I asked, nodding to a old wooden bench nearby.

Kira shrugged. "Sure, it's your lunch," he said as I took my seat.

It was peacefully quiet as I ate my lunch without much taste. All of a sudden, I paused and laid down my lunch box. "Hey Kira, did you ever have an unrequited love?" I asked suddenly.

Kira stared at me in surprise as he fell off the bench. "W-wha?" he asked as he looked at me with large violet eyes.

I sighed as I placed my hand over my forehead. "Please just answer the question. I don't want to repeat it, as I feel like an idiot already," I said.

Kira's surprise expression faded immediately as he then retook his place on the bench and folded his hands. "Well... truthfully, yes. Remember Fllay Allster from when we were in kindergarten?" he asked as I nodded slowly. "I had a childish crush on her for a while and when I told her about it, she looked at me with disgust written all over her face, saying how I was such a dirty little boy,"

I blinked. "Really? I don't remember that confession, but it was true how the two of us were always covered in mud, especially on rainy days," I said, with a small smile on my face.

Kira grinned. "Yeah I know, but still, I was quite hurt that day. I went home immediately, and cried for at least 5 minutes," he said.

"Oh wow.. 5 minutes," I teased. "I also remember how much you used to cry over the littlest things,"

Kira pouted. "Oh be quiet Cagalli! But what made you bring up the topic? Is there something going on that you should tell me about?" he asked as his face turned serious again.

I looked downwards. _He better not laugh.._ "Well you see... at first I thought he was just another annoying person, but as I got to know him better, he turned out to be alright. He.. he's very popular among the girls in our grade and even a friend of mine liked him, though she hated me at first because she had mistakenly thought that he and I were already dating. But after I straightened things out with her and encouraged her to confess, he accepted," I said.

I swallowed before continuing. "During all of this time, I was convincing myself that he was only just a friend, but as time passed by, I realised that I was wrong all along and that I like him. However, I cannot confess to him because not only he's my friend's boyfriend, but also he sees me only as a friend," I explained quickly.

"Is 'he' Athrun?" Kira asked as he hit bullseye.

I stared at him in amazement. "How did you know?" I asked.

Kira sighed. _Well it's pretty much obvious to anyone other than you and he himself._ He thought. "I have good instincts," he said quickly. "Anyway, I noticed that you've been moodier and moodier lately, is that the reason for it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's been on my mind for some time now," I admitted as I scratched my head.

Kira cocked his head to one side. "Did you tell him how you felt?" he demanded.

"Well no-"

"Then why jump to conclusions? You never know what'll happen if you don't take charge, y'know?" Kira cutted in. "Someone has to confess first, or else the relationship can't start if one doesn't know the other's feelings,"

"If he does reject you (and I'll beat him up if he makes you sad) then you can say you tried, but always remember, keep on trying, since nothing is impossible," said Kira as he floated in front of me.

I stared at him in surprise. "Kira, you no longer sound like a whiny little cry-baby. You can actually give advice now," I said in a teasing manner.

Kira punched me lightly on the shoulder. "Were you actually listening to anything I just said? You better say yes because you'll never hear those words again, you got that?" he said.

I laughed as I stood up. "Don't worry, thanks to you, I'm now motivated. I won't run away from him any longer," I said as my mind was now set.

_Thanks Kira.. I think I know more or less of what I should do now. Before, I was late in realizing my feelings, but now, I won't delay them any longer now that a path was been cleared for me._

-----

_After school..._ "Where were you at lunch today?" a cool voice asked behind me.

I turned my head to meet icy emerald eyes that looked quite angry. "I went outside to have lunch today," I answered truthfully as I tossed my books into my locker. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I was looking for you so that I could continue what I was saying earlier, but you weren't there," said Athrun.

I swallowed as I knew that he knew I knew that he was looking for me and thus intentionally avoided to meet him. **(A/N: Did that last sentence even make sense? XD)** I inhaled deeply. "Well I'm free now, so let's talk," I said.

Athrun looked down the hallway which still had a lot of students roaming around. "Mm.. not here, let's go to the roof," he said.

_On the rooftop..._ I glanced at him, who was pacing nervously around. "I also have something to tell you, but since you came to me first, you can say it," I said.

Athrun stopped as he spun around to face me. "You know how Meyrin and I have been dating right?" he asked as I nodded slowly. "Well yesterday, we broke up,"

I gaped at him. _Did he just say that he broke up with Meyrin? Why? How? Well I mean I feel somewhat happy about this, but what was his reason?_ "Why?" I questionned.

Athrun's eyes flickered to mine for a mere fraction of a second before dropping his gaze back down onto the ground. "It was because I realised that the person I liked wasn't her," he said cooly.

I remained silent as Athrun went on. "I find it rather strange why I would choose that girl over Meyrin. I mean that girl is so rude sometimes, clumsy and loud, the polar opposite to Meyrin. She can be a monster when she's angry and tends to yell at me a lot, but still I fell in love with-" he said.

"If that's the only reason you called me up here, to talk about this new girl, I'm going to go," I said as I bit back on the hurt I felt.

_I was so ready to tell him, but he just goes on and on about another girl. I guess he didn't change so much from when I first met him afterall..._

"The one who I love is Cagalli!"

I paused in midstep as I turned my head to stare at him in shock. "W-what?" I barely made out.

Athrun clenched his fists. "At first I only thought of you as a friend, but when you were getting so intimate with Rusty, unknowingly to me, I became moody and short-tempered to everyone, but especially you. I didn't know why I was feeling that way, but as I tried to avoid it by accepting Meyrin's confession to me, without thinking things through. It is only now I realise how much I could have saved her from being harmed by my actions,"

"My true feelings were buried so deep within me that I, myself, didn't think that it would've been you, but it is," Athrun looked at me directly as his emerald orbs were filled with determination.

"Cagalli, I love you. I don't care what you think about me. You can even think that I am a coward for hiding for so long, which I am, but I don't care because what I feel for you is stronger than that. So, please go-"

"That's enough," I cutted him off.

Athrun stopped as he looked at me in speechless. "I understand what you are telling me, for I've also been put through many situations where I couldn't decide on my feelings. Ever since my mind was clouded I avoided you, since you were that cause of confusion, but my head is clear now, so I tell you what I've wanted to say for a long time now,"

Athrun blinked. "Athrun, I also love you," I said as I looked at him directly with a smile on my face.

At that moment, I forgot all else that happened that day, as Athrun happily came and hugged me tightly. Being embraced by him made me remember how warm his body felt and how his arms seemed so big and strong that they would shield me away from all source of problems. I returned his embrace and the happiness that we felt couldn't be measured for it was so big that nothing could beat it.�

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**A/N: Wow... so cheesy XD, but it's getting rather late, so I couldn't really think of anything else. I think it's also the shortest chapter I've done so far for this fic as well. I had more ideas that I could have added into this chapter, but it would have seemed rather odd, going from one emotion to another, don't you think? So that was why this chapter was so short. I'm not sure if the next chapter will be a whole lot longer, but it'll be more focused on the ghosts. :)**


	17. Goodbye

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for all of those reviews you have all given me! I was really delighted to read them, and so, I posted several days earlier than I had originally planned. Also, I'm also really happy to see that this fic has more success than all of my previous ones! A lot of you have placed alerts on this fic and currently, it has the most alerts! -big smile- Anyway, this is the next to last chapter, so it will be a little sad. I decided to feature this chapter mainly on Kira (and a little bit of Lacus) since they didn't appear as much as I originally wanted. Anyway, happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD**

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**Chapter 17:** **Goodbye**

"So Kira, did Cagalli said anything when you told her that you would be going out of town today?" Lacus asked as the two of them climbed onto the subway.

Kira smiled as he recalled his previous thoughts. "Not really, though I'm sure she was suspecting something was going on secretly behind her back since her instincts are usually quite sharp when it comes to these types of things," he admitted. "But at the same time, she's really delighted that Athrun and her are dating, so she dismissed the matter with only a '_Come back safely, okay?_' and didn't press it any further,"

Lacus smiled sweetly. "I'm really glad the two of them got things straightened up, since obviously to anyone but themselves that they had feelings for each other," she said.

"Same here, I hope their relationship will last, since nowadays, relationships come and go quite quickly," Kira pondered outloud.

Lacus laid her head onto his shoulder. "That is true, but I have a good feeling that it will, since they really are suited for each other," she said gently. "To change the subject, are we really going to the town where you and Cagalli used to live in?" Lacus asked as the doors closed and the subway began to move.

Kira nodded. "Yup, I spent the first 6 years there until I died and Cagalli's family moved away. When I was in the spirit world, I could always sense Cagalli's sadness and loneliness, so I came back to find her, only to find that she had gotten herself lost at night. And since then, I stayed with her. So I haven't gone back for at least 10 years," he explained.

"I see..." said Lacus. "Did you have any siblings?"

"Oh yeah, I have an older brother, by the name of Canard Pars, who is ten years older than I am. Even though we're not blood-related, I still look up to him as any younger brother would. I'm not completely sure, but I think he's married now, since I can remember that he used to be quite popular with girls," said Kira as he scratched his head. **(A/N: I'm not completely sure if Canard Pars really is Kira's brother in the series, but I'll make them brothers here, though not blood related. Canard Pars is adopted by the Yamato family in this fic)**

"So maybe if we're lucky, Canard is still living in the same town. We could also visit him as well," said Lacus as the subway stopped at one of its stations.

Kira nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. It's been a decade since I last seen him, so he must look somewhat different now," he said.

Shortly after, the subway stopped at Kira's and Lacus's station. "We're here! Let's go!" said Kira cheerfully as he grabbed Lacus's hand gently and dragged her out.

As soon as they stepped outside of the station, Lacus was blinded by the immense sunlight that welcomed them to another city. "Wa! The sun feels so good!" Kira said as he stretched out both arms.

Lacus giggled. "It feels so much warmer here," she noted.

Kira nodded. "Yep, of course. This is the countryside, unlike Tokyo. Eveything is different here; it's more peaceful here, and there's less cars as well," he said. "C'mon! I'll show you around the old neighbourhood where Cagalli and I used to live in,"

Throughout most of the morning, Kira, acting like a tourist guide, brought Lacus to many areas that he had spent time in during the days when he was still living. They stopped at an old looking school with grey walls. "This used to be my elementary school. I remember having a lot of memories here," said Kira as he took her hand and went inside the building to visit his old classroom.

"In our first grade, we went on a field trip to the aquarium. There, while during a dolphin show, the marine biologist there allowed us to feed them fish," he said as he then grinned. "I remember when it was Cagalli's turn, she stood too close to the tank when she tried to feed the dolphin and fell in. The class was in a state of shock and panic, but the teacher shouldn't have been worried, since the dolphin went under Cagalli and brought her back up before anything bad happened,"

Lacus smiled. "Was Cagalli also surprised?" she questionned.

Kira shook his head with a boyish grin. "Nope, actually, she was delighted. She told us that this was her first time riding a dolphin and enjoyed it a lot. However, once Cagalli got back onto dry land, she was scolded by the teacher for being so foolish,"

His smile faded as he then sighed. "I miss those happy days at school. I also never got the chance to graduate from elementary school either," he said quietly.

Lacus brought herself closer to him and wrapped her arms sideways around Kira. Kira placed his arm around Lacus's shoulder and held her close. They both understood what he felt since Lacus also died not too long after Kira. Not being able to continue going to school with others, not being able to experience the small happy memories and not being able to graduate. As Kira remembered his purpose of coming here wasn't to be sad he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Pulling on a small smile he took Lacus's hand gently. "Now, let's go visit my grave," he said as they exited the building.

They walked along the country side roads until a cemetary came into view. Kira helped Lacus up the steps that lead to his grave. Kneeling down in front of his own grave he could see that flowers had been placed recently. "Even my family still comes to see me," he said quietly as Lacus took her place next to him.

"Of course they would, any parents who care for their child would. Any siblings who regretted fighting and wished that they had been nicer would as well. You didn't think they wouldn't, would you?" Lacus asked as she looked at his face in concern.

Kira shook his head. "I wasn't thinking that; it's just that after my death, I was brought back to this place no longer alive, but as a ghost. I overheard my mother fighting with my father that if they had never came to live here, my death would have never occured. But my father disagreed, he had said that if only I had never been friends with Cagalli, that accident wouldn't have taken place. But they were both wrong; if I had never been friends with Cagalli, I would have never been the person I am today," he said as his eyes reflected his sorrow.

"I will never blame her for my death because if I had not died, then she would have been the one whose life was taken away. I care for her so much that if I had done nothing to stop that from happening, I don't think I could have lived with the knowledge that I could've saved her," said Kira. "But Cagalli blamed herself and could no longer stay in this hometown when all eyes were directed upon her as the cause of my death. So her family moved away to another city, hoping that being in a different place, Cagalli could free herself from the guilt, but truthfully, even though she doesn't show it on her face, I can tell that she still feels guilty,"

"That's the reason why you want her to be happy with Athrun, isn't it?" Lacus asked quietly as she scanned Kira's face.

Kira nodded once. "Yes. I think that once she is happy, she won't feel guilty about it anymore, because my wish was for her to be happy even if I wasn't here to be by her side," he explained.

Lacus squeezed Kira's hand gently. "That is exactly how I feel as well. Athrun was extremely close to his mother, since his father never had time for either of them and when he had lost her, he felt like he had lost a part of himself," she said.

"When I had met him for the first time, he seemed very distant and only replied when I spoke to him, never talking just because he felt like it. I cared for him deeply, like a sister would, wishing that I could cure him, and that wish was nearly fulfilled when I met my death. As my spirit left for the spiritual world, I could feel his loneliness and pain as he kept saying over and over if only he had stopped me from going, things wouldn't have turned out this way. At that point on, I knew that I couldn't leave him alone like that until he found someone he cherished. And now, my job is nearly done," said Lacus.

Kira nodded. "I know, that is why I brought you here today. I wanted to spent a few of my last moments here with you before we are reborn with new memories," he said as he stood up. "Now, I will bring you to my house,"

As they moved on to a different area, Kira was silent. The chances of his family still being there at the same place was very little. Ten years was a long time; it was possible anything could happen. As they approached a familar neighbourhood, Kira drew his breath. _It's now or never that I find out.._ he thought as he felt Lacus slip her hand into his and gave him a reasuring squeeze. Kira turned to her and gave her a strong smile. "Let's go," he said.

"That room up there to your right used to be my room and if it is still like the way it was ten years ago, the window lock should still be broken," said Kira as he nodded to a window on his upper-right.

"Well, let's find out," said Lacus as the two of them floated up and shook the window.

The window creaked slightly before giving in and opened. "Hey I was right! This old window still hasn't been fixed," said Kira as a delighted smile crossed his face.

Lacus returned his smile as they both floated into his room. As they landed, Kira's eyes widened in surprise. "What is it, Kira?" Lacus asked as she saw his shocked gesture.

It took a few moments before Kira could answer as he inspected his old room. "Nothing has changed after all of this time. My bed, my dresser, my toybox...it's all here. I can't believe it.." he breathed as he crossed the room and opened his closet.

"Even my favorite car models are here... Mom must have kept this room as it was ten years ago, only just dusting the place once in a while," said Kira as he wiped the table with a finger.

Lacus smiled. "Your family definitely cares a lot for you if they had kept everything the way it was," she said as Kira bent down under his bed.

He took out a small box and blew the dust off. "What is that, Kira?" Lacus asked as she bent down next to him to inspect the small wooden box.

With cautious hands as if he was afraid, Kira opened the wooden box and tipped it over. Many photos spilled over revealing the times of when Kira was still alive. Lacus picked up one and inspected it carefully. "Wow Kira! You looked so cute when you were little!" she said delightedly.

Kira's translucent face blushed pale pink. "T-those were pictures of Cagalli and I," he said as he picked up another one.

"This picture was when we went to the sandbox together," he added as he nodded towards a sand-covered Cagalli.

Lacus giggled. "Must have been fun," she said with a bright smile.

Kira nodded. "Yep. These photos contain some of my best memories... some that will remain on earth even after my body is long gone," he said as he placed the photos back into the box and replaced it back under his bed.

Just as he was doing so, a doorbell could be heard throughout the house. Without saying anything, both Kira and Lacus silently crept out of his room and floated downstairs. As they rounded the corner towards the living room, Kira froze as he met a middle-aged couple standing there. "T-that's my mom and dad," he breathed.

Lacus blinked as she looked from the photos that hung on the walls to the couple that stood before her. They aged somewhat, but their eyes still had the same look in them. Kira breathed deeply. _It's been so long since I've last seen them... it hurts a little.._ he thought, but as he stood there, his father walked towards him and paused for a moment. He looked directly at Kira, as thought he knew that there was someone there. "What's wrong, dear? Why aren't you answering the door?" Kira's mother asked.

Kira's father blinked as he shook his head. "O-oh.. it's nothing, I just felt a strange presence around, that's all," he said as he then went to answer the door.

"It's good to see you! Come on in, my son," said Haruma Yamato as he widened the door.

At the word 'son', Kira and Lacus turned around. The boy who entered the door was no longer a boy; he was a man. And by his side, a young lady who appeared to be the same age also stepped in, with a baby sleeping in her arms. _No way... don't tell me that's.. Canard?_ Kira thought as he looked at the man in front of him. _He changed so much.._

The Canard that was in his memories was a long, dark haired rebellious teenager who wore extremely cool clothes. But now, the Canard that stood in front of him looked a lot like a father, now that his hair was cropped much shorter and wearing just plain casual clothing. _His face matured a lot more... he must be at least 26 years old by now..._ "Hello Father, Mother," said Canard, his voice deeper and cooler. "It's good to see you as well,"

He wrapped his arm around what appeared to be his wife's shoulders. "Our son and Julia were just released out of the hospital today, so we came to see you," he said as he took the baby gently and held him.

Caridad Yamato smiled gently at the young couple. "What did you decide to name him?" she asked as she stepped beside her husband.

"Kira,"

Kira blinked as Lacus gave him a questionning look. Both of his parents also looked surprised. Canard smiled sadly. "When my brother was born, I had promised that I would always look after him and protect him. But in the end, I had failed. Kira was a good-hearted person, someone whom one could look up to. That is why I named this child after him, because I believe that he will turn out similar to his uncle, with the exception that this time, I swear that this child will never leave my eyes until the day comes," Canard explained as he held the baby protectively.

Kira was speechless as he regarded his brother with sad eyes. "Kira?" Lacus's quiet voice asked as she laid her hand gently on Kira's shaking shoulders.

Kira's bangs covered his face, but even Lacus could see streams of tears flowing down his face freely. Lacus embraced him gently. "Please don't be sad," she said quietly as she brushed his tears away with the coolness of her hand.

Kira shook his head. "N-no.. I'm not sad, but the opposite... I'm so happy that I returned back here before I went... I got to see my family," he whispered. "Everyone changed somewhat, but I can still see that the love they feel for me hasn't changed at all.. I'm a really lucky person to have everyone be there for me,"

"Of course, no matter where we will be reborn, I also promise that I will stay by your side, so that you won't be alone even if your family and Cagalli cannot be there," said Lacus as she released him and looked up at his violet eyes.

Kira smiled, a happy one. "I know. And now, I think I can go back without any worries," he said as he turned to look at his family for the last time.

He approached his brother first. "Canard, you cannot hear me, but I wish you and your wife a long life of happiness," he whispered as he nodded to both Canard and Julia.

Then he turned to face his parents. "Both of you were so kind to me, when I was alive and even now. You maintain my room the way it was even though I am no longer alive, to preserve the memories that we had and you visit my grave often. I can't thank you enough. I was proud to have been your son, even though it was only for a short time," said Kira with a smile.

Then, at last, Kira faced the younger baby who was no longer sleeping and looked at him with the same violet eyes. Kira smiled sincerely as the baby reached out for him, as though he could see him. Kira took the baby's hands in his own. His hand was at least 10 times bigger than the one that belong to the infant. Kira approached the baby and kissed him lightly on his forehead before saying, "Grow up quickly and make your parents proud. I'm sure that you'll be a fine child when you get older," Kira said gently as the baby smiled back at him.

Kira faced Lacus once more. "Let's go back," he said as Lacus nodded.

They returned back to his room and before floating out the window, Kira paused as he got back down onto his knees to reach for the small wooden box that contained his photos. "What are you getting?" Lacus questionned as she was halfway out the window.

"Just a photo," said Kira as he tucked the photo into a pocket and left his hometown.

* * *

_Back at home.._ "Hey Cagalli! I'm home!" Kira called as he knocked on my bedroom door.

I opened it with a smile. "Welcome back! I was wondering where you had gone, since it was getting late," I said as he entered.

"No where really, just wanted to show Lacus a few places I thought were memorable," he said simply as he floated towards my windowstill.

I cocked my head to the side. At first I was a little surprised when Kira asked to go out of town, but now, judging by his sastified expression, I knew I shouldn't have been worried. I got up and went towards the small tv I had in my room. "Today, I went out and rented that game we used to always play when we were younger... LodeRunner, remember?" I said as I showed him the game. "Do you want to stay up all night?"

Kira smiled. "Alright," he said as he floated back onto the ground and held the controller.

I started the game and waited for it to load. "I remember when we were younger, you were quite good at this game," I commented as the main screen lit up.

Kira chuckled. "Yes, I also remember the times where we used to play, you used to lose to me so many times," he said.

I pouted. "I may have lost in the past, but today, I will beat you, you'll see," I promised as the game began.

We played until it was nearly midnight. In the end, I had won. I jumped up and cheered happily. "Yeah! I told you I would beat you, didn't I?" I said as I grinned happily.

Kira smiled gently. "Yeah you did. But I don't feel bad losing, since it was a good game. You improved a lot since we last played, didn't you?" he said as he also stood up.

I nodded as I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Y-yeah..." I said sleepily. "I'm so tired after going out with Athrun all day long. It was a fun day,"

"Were you happy?" Kira asked as he turned off the game.

I nodded again. "Of course... I'm always happy with Athrun," I said with a yawn.

Kira smiled. "I think you should go to sleep, it's getting late," he said.

I shook my head. "We didn't stay up all night though," I protested as I rubbed my eyes, trying to stay awake.

"Well, we basically did, since it'll be midnight soon, which means it'll be a new days in a few minutes. So it's fine if you want to sleep now," said Kira gently as he glanced at the clock.

I gave in and climbed into bed. I smiled at him sleepily. "Good night Kira," I said.

"Goodnight Cagalli," Kira whispered.

I didn't know why, whether it was because I was so tired, but when he said those words, it sounded as if he was saying goodbye. I was scared for a moment, but then relaxed as I remembered that Kira would always be with me. "See you in the morning," I murmured and with that, I was dead asleep.

Kira didn't reply, but instead, brought the covers up to my chin and brushed my bangs away from my eyes. "Cagalli, I'll miss you so much... please be happy always... for me, but mostly, for yourself. You're a strong person, I believe you'll always succeed in no matter what you do, so please take care. Even if you don't, I'll be looking after you up there," Kira whispered quietly as his sad eyes scanned my sleeping face.

As the clock turned twelve, Kira rose. "I must go now, but please don't forget me because I'll never forget you," he said as he brushed my face gently with his ghostly cool fingers.

He then left a small envelope on my table and opened the window. Kira looked at me for the last time as the moonlight lit his face. As the warm breeze blew past, a single tear flowed down his face. With a single breath, Kira leapt out the window and flew towards the moon without looking back.

_Goodbye..._

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**A/N: Wahh... when I was typing this out, I was so sad. -teary eyed- Some of you may ask why didn't Kira also go visit Lacus's hometown and the answer is that Lacus doesn't have any living relatives, so they decided to visit Kira's family instead. I typed this out rather quickly, but I hope this chapter makes some sense, if it doesn't, PLEASE tell me! One more chapter to go! Hopefully, I'll get the last one up soon and start another fic immediately afterwards. Anyway, see you then!  
**


	18. Until We Meet Again

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for not updating for about a month. :( I was trying to figure out how to get this chapter done properly even though I had the ideas in mind. Also I just came back form a four-day band trip to a Ski Resort which was REALLY fun!! Ah... I'm so tired, but I actually had this chapter done before I went, so here you go: the Last Chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD**

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**Chapter 18: Until We Meet Again**

As my alarm clock rang, reminding me that I had school, I sleepily felt for the snooze button before slapping it down. I yawned as I rolled over in bed. "Mmm... five more minutes, Kira," I mumbled, half-awake.

But then I realised something as I sat up and glanced at the clock. It said quarter to eight. "AH!" I yelled out in surprise as I rushed out of bed and ran towards the bathroom.

I quickly brushed my teeth and got changed. "Damn it, Kira! Why didn't you wake me up?!" I demanded as I ran the brush through my hair.

However, as I waited for a familar voice to answer back, none came. I laid down my brush and peered outside the bathroom. "Kira? You there?" I said carefully as I looked around my room.

The translucent ghost was no where to be found. _He's probably downstairs somewhere, fixing something to eat.._ I thought as I rushed to put everything into my backpack. _But he could have at least woken me up like usual, couldn't he?_ I slammed the door and rushed downstairs without another glance at my room and threw my backpack next to the door. I went into the kitchen to grab a piece of bread. "Kira? Are you in the kitchen?" I yelled as I looked around downstairs.

No answer was heard. I ran into the kitchen as I started to worry a little. _Where is he? He couldn't have gone anywhere without telling me first... he always does. _I thought as I stuck a piece of bread into mouth. "He's probably at school waiting for me or something," I said as I pulled on my backpack and left the house without another thought.

As I rushed to school, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Like one of my senses was telling me something. But I didn't know what. I rushed quickly inside the building, hoping to find the familar face waiting for me. _Kira? Where are you?_ I thought as I began to worry. He was nowhere to be found. Not outside nor inside. I checked for all of his favorite places where he would hang out with Lacus while I was in class, but there was no trace of neither ghost.

As I opened my locker to get my books ready for the class, I felt the cellphone in my pocket vibrate. Without looking at who was phoning, I whipped it out immediately. "Kira? Is that you?" I answered quickly.

The voice hesitated for the slightest moment. "Cagalli.. it's me," said a cool voice.

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as I realised whose voice that belonged to. "Oh hey Athrun... sorry for making a mistake like that. I'm just feeling a little odd today," I said apologetically.

Athrun said nothing for a moment before asking, "Is Kira missing?" he asked all of a sudden.

I blinked several times. _How did he know? Is there something going on that I don't know about?_ I thought before answering. "Yeah, I looked all over the house this morning, but I can't find him anywhere," I said. "I thought he'd be at school,"

His next cause my heart to nearly stop. "Lacus is gone. She left me a goodbye note last night," said Athrun quietly.

"A goodbye note? Why? What does that have to do with Kira?" I nearly shouted, not caring about the stares that I was receiving from the other students in the hallway.

Athrun swallowed audibly over the line before answering. "Kira and Lacus are gone. They went back to the spiritual world," he said in the same quiet voice, which meant that he was serious.

I stared hard at my locker as I slammed it shut. "T-they will... come back right?" my voice shook.

Athrun said nothing and my fears were coming true. The thought of Kira leaving me... it was too horrible to think of. Athrun was wrong, wasn't he? "Are you at school?" Athrun asked.

"Yes," I said, making myself calm down.

_Yes.. Athrun has to be wrong, Kira would never leave me..._ I reasured myself. _But I have to make sure I am right.._ "But I'm going back to check something," I added as I quickly left the school building.

"Phone me back in ten minutes," said Athrun as he hung up before I got the chance to reply.

I stuck my cell back into my pocket as I began to sprint. _Kira! Please be there. Prove that Athrun is wrong.. _I thought over and over. But what I didn't want to acknowledge was that Athrun was always right. Within a small amount of time, I returned back home. I thrust the door open and ran into my house. I kicked off my shoes quickly and ran throughout the house calling, "Kira!!"

My voice began to sound more and more desperate when no one answered. Seeing that no one was downstairs other than myself, I ran upstairs in a hurry, causing myself to slip and fall on one of the steps. I winced at the pain I felt on my left knee, but ignored it as I hurried back up. I threw the door to my bedroom open, not caring at the dent that I would have made when the door knob slammed into the wall. "Kira?" my voice sounded like a child's. "Are you here?"

I stepped into my room as I felt that in the ten years that I have lived here, not once did this room feel cold, but now, the feeling was piercing. I looked around my room, finding no translucent teenage ghost boy hovering around with a boyish grin. School most likely would have already started by now, but I didn't feel like going, without knowing where Kira was. "Why did you do this to me?" I whispered as I approached my desk and sat down gloomily.

I crossed my arms on the desk and placed my chin on my arms when I realised that my elbow brushed against something papery. Looking sideways I noticed a small plain envelope was placed onto my desk. I raised my head as I glanced at it. "Where did this come from? I don't remember placing this here," I murmured as I brought the envelope closer.

As I picked the envelope up, I blinked as I read that the letter was addressed to me, though it had no postage stamp on it. With trembling hands, I slowly opened the envelope. I took out the letter that was inside and swallowed before unfolding it. At the first glance, I recognised that untidy but readable handwriting. It had belonged to Kira. As my heart pounded deeply in my chest, I read the letter with shaking hands.

_Dearest Cagalli,_

_By the time you read this letter... I am no longer here. I came back six years ago to find you because I had sensed your neverending pain and sadness. You were alone, lost and afraid. I knew instantly at that moment that I had to lead you back onto your path because if I didn't, you would have never found your way. From then on, I took on the responsibility of looking after you; I even got permission from the spiritual world. However the promise was that I could only stay with you until you could find happiness and erase that sadness from your heart. And so, I was always there._

_These past ten years were perhaps the happiest times for me, even though you were the only one who could see me and talk to me, but I was happy, because I could stay by your side. Seeing you grow up and becoming the woman I know today is something I'll never regret. You never made me feel lonely, not once. I am glad that I had gotten the chance to meet you. Even though there's a lot of things that cannot be said in a letter I want you to know that even though I am not here beside you, I don't want you to cry. As your best friend, I would always want to see your smiling face. I want you to be happy, not only for me, but for yourself as well. _

_Our memories that we shared cannot be forgotten, since they're placed in both of our hearts with only a key that you and I gain possession to. Even though I shall be reborn shortly after I write this, my spirit as Kira Yamato will always be with you. My memories of us will be erased when I am reborn, but I believe without fail, that someday, I will meet you again. I promise... no matter how much my appearance may change, or if even if it takes years and years, I will see you once more._

_Love for always,_

_Kira Yamato _

Tears flowed down my face freely as I dropped the evelope that I held in my hand. I shook my head as I didn't want to believe what I had read. Kira is... gone. The one who I spent my whole lifetime with. The one who I could talk to about anything. The one who I had thought would be with me forever is no longer here. I wiped the back of my hand across my face as I looked towards the fallen envelope and saw that there was something more.

I bent down to pick it up when I realised that it was a photo of Kira and I when we had first met. It was on a large grassy field where the grass was the greenest that I could ever recall seeing. Flowers easily bloomed in that area since the soil was very rich. I remembered that day when my mother had dropped me off at preschool, the children there made fun of my bright colored hair and fiery eyes. It disturbed me back then so much that I always played alone. One day when I couldn't stand being bullied any more, I ran away from the school and came upon this green field. When I realised that I was lost, I began to cry.

I wanted to go back to the school I wanted to have a friend. I wanted to be accepted by others. Suddenly a shadow approached me and asked why I was crying. I looked up only to be greeted by kind violet eyes. I had told him that I was lost and immediately he took my hand. "I'll help you find your way," he had said then as he helped me up.

It turned out that his family had just moved here and he was going to the same preschool that I was. "I'm Kira Yamato, do you want to be friends?" he had asked.

I would never forget those words, because it was all thanks to him that I could continue smiling. When he had brought me back, everyone was worried about where I had gone and the children apologized for being so mean. I forgave them with a smile and introduced Kira, who was the very first friend I had ever made. The teacher took a picture of the two of us using an instant camera and showed us the photo. Kira gave me a wide smile as he told me then that he liked my smile the best. So I decided that he should keep this photo as a momento of the first day we met.

As I flipped the picture over, I noticed that there was something written on the back. _Smile for me._ It had said. My eyes were brimmed with tears, but I didn't let any drop. _That's right.. I shouldn't cry anymore. Kira doesn't want me to be sad..._ I thought as I placed the photo back together with the letter.

Just as I stood up, the door bell rang. I blinked. _Everyone's at school... _ I thought but looked out the window nevertheless. A silver Lamborghini was parked in front of my house. Without another thought, I hurried downstairs to answer the door. My guess was right, it was Athrun. "Hey," he said cooly.

"Hi," I answered back.

Athrun dropped his gaze slightly. "So, did you find out?" he asked as his voice indifferent.

I nodded. "Y-yeah... you were right," I said as I tried to keep my voice from wavering.

Without another thought Athrun took my hand. "I don't feel like going to school today. Instead, I want to get away from here," he said as he looked directly at me.

I understood how he felt so I nodded. "I'll accompany you," I said shortly and then, we took off.

The ride was uncomfortably silent; neither of us felt like speaking. Eventually, Athrun stopped at the beach, which was empty, since it was still a weekday. Without saying anything, he went to the other side of the car and escorted me outside. I was greeted by the saltyness of the sea as I stepped onto the soft sand. The waves washed gently upon the shore as the two of us sat down on the dry sand and looked down towards the sea. "It's going to be different without them, isn't it?" I spoke dryly.

Athrun nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "I won't be getting used to this anytime soon,"

A ghost of a smile flickered across my face. "I know what you mean," I said as I tilted my head so that it laid gently upon his shoulder.

Athrun placed his arm around my shoulder. "They've been with us for so long that it is almost expected that they'd be with us forever," he said calmly.

"Who'll look after us now?" Athrun joked quietly.

At those words, I remained silent. It was true; Kira was always there, looking after me. The time when I had gotten lost so many years ago, the time when I was knocked down by Meer. But now... I was independent.. but that didn't mean that I was alone either. I stood up and took Athrun's hand. "Athrun, I know that I cannot ever replace Lacus, but as myself, Cagalli Yula Athha, I promise that I shall look over you in her place since she cannot be here," I said determinedly as I tugged gently on his arm.

Athrun looked at me in surprise, as though he wasn't expecting such a saying, but he smiled nonetheless. He stood up as well, our hands still in contact. "I know, I know that you will do as well of a job as she had done. I have no doubt of that. Kira doesn't need to worry any longer either, because I'm here for you always," he said sincerely.

I nodded as a grin lit my face. "Do you promise?" I asked.

Athrun returned my grin. "Yep, I promise," he said.

"Well, since you promised, you can't break it, okay?" I said as I held out my pinky towards him. "Or else Kira and Lacus will never forgive you,"

Athrun chuckled as he took my pinky with one of his own. "Alright," he declared. "So where should we go now? School has long started, but if you wanted to, we could make it back before lunch and attend afternoon classes,"

I cocked my head towards one side. "Mmm... I don't think I feel like going to class today, afterall ditching once in a long while is good for you," I said as I walked upon the soft sand.

"Isn't that right?" said Athrun as he walked beside me. "Well then, let's spend the day here then,"

_--_

_Many years later..._ "Cagalli, are you done yet?" a male voice asked from down below.

"Almost! Give me a few more minutes!" I yelled back as I my hand reached for an old letter that laid hidden in a book.

It had been six years since both Athrun and I had lost our ghost companions. Even though we missed them so much, we were able to move on with the help of one another. Today, my fiancé and I would be heading to my old hometown where I used to live with Kira Yamato, the bestest friend that I could ever have. I smiled as I thought of the energetic lavendar-eyed boy that I knew so well. These past days, my thoughts were often filled with that particular boy. "I wonder how he's doing now," I said to myself as I unfolded the letter.

_Of course by now, he probably has a reincarnation, the same with Lacus, but no matter what would've happened, their spirits would always be around somewhere,_ I thought. This letter was one that Kira had written to me so many years ago, but I've read and re-read it so many times that I knew everything by heart. It was one of my most precious possessions that I owned so I always kept it with me, safely. I folded it again after reading it once more and tucked it into my pocket. I grabbed my jacket and tied it around my waist, in case that I would have needed it and headed downstairs.

I was then greeted by my fiancé, Athrun Zala, who was, like always, waiting for me patiently. "Sorry it took so long," I said as I stepped off the last of the stairs.

Athrun nodded. "It's okay. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, let's go," I said and we headed off to the city where I was born.

I gave Athrun the tour of my hometown and took him to the place where the greenest grass could be found. "You know what this place is?" I questionned.

"The place where you first met Kira?" Athrun answered.

I nodded. "That's right. I'll never forget that memory, it was the begining of all my memories," I said as I took his hand and walked along the field.

Not much had changed about this place, only that a small playground was built on the other side of the field. As we went onto the playground, I noticed a small girl sitting on the gravel crying. I approached her and bent down, so that I was level with her. "What's wrong?" I asked gently as the bubblegum-haired girl sniffled loudly.

"I-i f-fell.." she sobbed as she pointed to her knee, which was indeed a little scraped.

Athrun also bent down. "Where are your parents, little girl?" he asked as he looked around the playground, but seeing no adults.

"N-n-not here," said the girl as she rubbed her eyes. "I-i want my m-mom,"

Athrun and I looked at each other and then back at the girl. "I'll be right back," I said as I took out my handkerchief and jogged another part of the playground which had a sink.

I soaked the cloth with cold water and then jogged back to where Athrun and the young girl sat. "Here," I said as I gently placed the cloth onto the girl's injured knee.

The little girl's eyes widened as she felt the coldness come over her and momentarily stopped crying as she looked down at her knee and then at us. As her eyes opened, Athrun and I stared, for they were baby blue, like the ones that a friend of ours had. "C-could she..?" Athrun asked as he was interrupted by a loud boyish voice calling, "Get away from Lacus!"

Everyones' head turned to see a small boy with chocolate brown hair and violet run towards us. "What did you do to Lacus?!" he demanded as he held up his fists. "You shouldn't pick on those younger than you are,"

I blinked. He was the exact image of Kira... Was this boy his reincarnation? "K-kira... stop. They didn't do anything... I-i fell off the swing," the girl named Lacus said as she tugged on his arm.

The little boy, Kira blinked as he looked towards her knee and then back to us. He grimanced as he realised that he had made a mistake and furrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry... I-i saw her crying... so I thought you were bullying her," he apologized uncomfortably.

I bit back a giggle. This boy really was the reincarnation of Kira. He also hated admitting his mistakes to others, even when he knew he was wrong. "You don't need to apologize for worrying for your friend," I said as I forgave him with a small smile. "It's good to have concern for others,"

Kira blinked as he looked at me with his wide lavendar eyes as he knew then that he was forgiven. "Thanks," he said with a small shy smile.

"Don't mention it, but I do suggest that you two go home, since I don't see your parents here," I added.

Kira nodded. "Okay," he said as he turned to look at Lacus. "Can you walk?" he asked.

Lacus shook her head. "I don't think so.." she said as she nodded to her knee.

"Would you like me to help you?" Athrun offered as he turned his back to her. "It's no problem,"

Lacus looked unsure for a moment but then decided that it would have been for the best. "Alright, thank you," she saisd as she climbed onto his back with some of Kira's help.

Athrun chuckled slightly as we set off with Kira giving the directions. "I once knew a girl like you. She was like an angel, everything was perfect about her. But even she made mistakes now and then, but even so, she got back up and continued on," he said as we walked down several streets.

Lacus blinked. "Where is she now? Is she an important person to you?" she questionned.

Athrun nodded. "Yes, she was a very special person. Even though I can no longer see her anymore, she has a place in my heart, a permanent place that will always be there," he answered.

Lacus and Kira remained quiet for the rest of the trip back to their homes and I wondered if they understood what Athrun had meant, since they were still very young. "Just turn right and head into that coltasac," Kira directed as he nodded to an upcoming road.

"Are the two of you neighbours?" I asked as Athrun turned.

Kira nodded. "Yes, we've been friends ever since we were babies and we'll always be together, right Lacus?" he said as he glanced at his friend.

Lacus smiled. "Yep!" she answered cheerfully, forgetting the pain she had felt earlier.

As we got to their houses, Athrun gently set Lacus down. "Here you go," he said. "Be careful not to hurt your leg any further, okay?"

Lacus nodded. "Okay, thank you so much for bringing me home, oni-chan, onee-chan," she said as she looked from Athrun to I.

Athrun shook his head. "It was no problem. We were visiting this place when we saw you," he said as he patted Lacus's hair gently.

Lacus giggled cheerfully as Kira smiled at her reaction. I bent down and placed my hands on his shoulders. "Well, Kira, look after her, okay?" I said. "She needs someone like you to be by her side,"

Kira cocked his head to one side. "Of course I will, you didn't think I wouldn't, did you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head with a smile. "Nah, I didn't think that. You'll do a good job, I know you will," I said as I stood back up and looked towards Athrun. "We should go now, shouldn't we?" I asked.

Athrun gave me a nod. "Yeah, we should go," he said and then looked back at the children. "Now look after yourselves and don't get into too much trouble," he added with a smile.

The two children nodded obeyingly. "Alright," they chorused and we left them.

And so, we left my old hometown, very sastified with our day; we had gotten the chance to meet Kira's and Lacus's reincarnations. But the Kira that I know still lingers nearby me, since even though I cannot see him, I can feel his presence looking after me. I leaned back in Athrun's lamboughini and looked up at the clear blue sky. I could imagine Kira looking after me even now, happy that I had gotten to meet him once more. I smiled as I closed my eyes.

_Thank you, Kira._

* * *

**A/N: I hope the ending wasn't too bad. Even though Kira and Lacus got reincarnated, Cagalli and Athrun will never forget their ghost companions, since they'll always be with them. Big thanks to all of the people who have reviewed in this fic, for cheering me on and making me continue this story, even though I wanted to end this fic many times, due to lack of ideas, so once again thanks again! I'll be starting my new fic soon, but lately, I've been really lazy, so I can't say when I'll be able to post it up. So if you liked this story or any of my others, I hope I'll see you there!**

**Either fic that I'll do:  
**

**O-hime Ja Nai!: (AxC) AKA: _I'm no Princess!_ Brought up in the orphanage for almost 16 years, I have yearned for a real family ever since I entered that place. At infancy, I was found abandonned with nothing but a name. When my 16th birthday came around, not only I received the surprise of my life, but also I meet a certain handsome emerald-eyed knight.**

**Or:**

**Unforeseen Circumstances: (AxC)**** I've been to many schools in the past, but this time, I met someone**** whose career is at stake and must keep their true identity a secret. But the thing is, that person attends an all girl-school **_**as **_**a girl and before long, I discover that 'she' is really a **_**he**_**. Should I keep his secret?**


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